


Back to the Edge

by Drakaina_amore64



Category: DreamWorks Dragons (Cartoon), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dragons: Race to the Edge, F/M, Mild Sexual Content, Strangling, Time Travel, Violence, married Hiccstrid, post httyd 3, set around homecoming
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:08:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 36,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26459986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drakaina_amore64/pseuds/Drakaina_amore64
Summary: When Zephyr and Nuffink Haddock find one of Stoick's old dragon books, they believe their parent's stories about dragons aren't true and call the dragons 'monsters'. Horrified that their children are frightened of dragons, Hiccup and Astrid set out to change their minds and seek the help of Gobber. Little do they know that Zephyr and Nuffink find another secret which ends up sending them back to the Dragon's Edge where the 18 year old versions of their parents are about to go head to head in a battle with Viggo Grimborn. Can their experience at Dragon's Edge change their minds about dragons or will Hiccup and Astrid's children be traumatised even further.
Relationships: Fishlegs Ingerman/Ruffnut Thorston, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Comments: 84
Kudos: 188
Collections: andamento hiccstrid





	1. Yearning

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is slightly based off Homecoming but takes a different turn in how the Haddock kids learn to love dragons again after seeing Stoick's books. Zephyr is 7 in this fic and Nuffink is 5 (Not sure how old they are in Homecoming but that is how old they are here). 
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD or any of the characters :) this is written purely for fun.

The sun began to rise over the small village of New Berk, marking the 3650th day that dragons had left for the hidden world. To some, it was just another day where they would go about their daily duties without even a thought about the beautiful winged beasts that had once occupied the skies. To others, it was another day without their scaly companions and a reminder that a piece of their hearts had flown off into the horizon only to return when they were finally safe from being hunted. 

Hiccup Haddock yawned and stretched his long limbs as he woke to the sound of the birds enthusiastically chirping outside the wooden hut. He knew he would have to get up soon, but the warmth of the bed was making it hard for him to want to move. Even more so was the breathtakingly beautiful woman who was currently curled against him with her arm slung over his chest. Hiccup smiled down at her sleeping form and slowly traced her arm with his fingertips. She looked peaceful sleeping, her long lashes fluttering, and her lips parted ever so slightly.

15 years ago, the term peaceful would not have been a word that anyone would use to describe Astrid Hofferson who was most known for battle skills and fearless attitude. Even in her sleep she had always had her hand close to her battle axe in case of an ambush in the middle of the night. Now the only ambush she and Hiccup faced was one of their children climbing in their bed after a nightmare or in the mornings when said children leapt on them with excited squeals. 

Hiccup shifted carefully so that he was now facing his wife and gently pushed her long blonde hair from her face. Cupping her rounded cheek, he softly pressed his lips to hers and whispered, “Good morning milady.”

Her blue eyes flickered open to meet his emerald green ones that were gazing at her with such affection it caused a slight blush to tinge her cheeks.

“Morning,” she replied with a sleepy smile and she stretched in his embrace “What time is it?”

“Early,” he sighed “I’m going to have to get out there soon before the shipments come in.”

Astrid nodded and snuggled closer entwining her slender legs with his.

“Better get a move on then _Chief,_ ” she said cheekily, causing Hiccup to roll his eyes playfully at her.

He gave her another kiss before detangling himself and dragging himself out of the covers. The cold, frigid air hit him suddenly and made him shiver as he pulled on his prosthetic leg. He turned back to look at Astrid who had pulled the covers up to cocoon around her. 

“Its freezing!” he exclaimed, and she gave him a sympathetic look as he made his way over to their wardrobe. Flinging it open he went to pull out his outfit and fur chief cape when his fingers brushed against the leather texture of his winged armour suit. A lump in his throat formed as memories of Toothless flooded through his mind. Astrid’s blue armour suit was hanging next to it and while the suits were no longer needed, they both couldn’t bring it upon themselves to dispose of them.

Hiccup quickly got dressed and made his way as quietly as he could down the hallway of their wooden hut before peering into the room at the end. The sleeping forms of Zephyr and Nuffink Haddock were still softly snoring in their beds. Hiccup made his way over to one where a small boy with blonde hair was curled up, clutching a well loved deadly nadder toy in his arms. He stroked the boys head and planted a kiss on the top of it before moving over to the next bed. A mop of auburn hair peaked out of the top of the covers and one hand was firmly clasped around a wooden sword. Hiccup snorted, _Like mother like daughter,_ he thought as he planted a kiss on her head.

Hiccup exited the Haddock house and trudged through the snow to head to the docks. The rest of New Berks residents were beginning to start their daily duties despite the thick blanket of snow that coated the village. Snoggletog was only days away and there was much to be done.

Hiccup spotted Gobber on his way and to his surprise the man looked as though he had been awake for hours.

“Morning lad, off to the docks are yer?” he asked as Hiccup shook the snow off his cape.

“Morning Gobber,” Hiccup replied with a smile “You’re up early.”

“Aye lots to be done with snoggletog on the way,” Gobber said with a chuckle “Also, I was er wondering but er did you and Astrid keep that stuff of Stoick’s by any chance?”

Hiccup raised his eyebrows at that and Gobber nervously scratched his head with the hook of his left hand. 

“Oh, ah I think there is still some stuff in the attic, I offered them to mom, but she wanted me to have them.”

“I was just wondering if yer would mind if I took a quick look in there? I’ve been looking for something everywhere and just can’t seem to find it,” Gobber asked with a hopeful look. 

Hiccup shrugged, “Sure, just head up anytime time, Astrid and the kids are up there. Is it anything that I can help with?”

“Oh er no no don’t yer worry I’m sure I will find it,” Gobber stammered and turned on the spot leaving Hiccup standing there with a bewildered look on his face.

It was clear that Gobber had been feeling a bit lost since Stoick’s passing and with the dragons leaving. There wasn’t much the old blacksmith could do these days and Hiccup felt slightly guilty that he had not spent a lot of the time with him lately. He made a mental note to catch up with him later and continued his way.

Back at the Haddock house, Astrid had finally pulled herself out of bed and was busy fixing breakfast for the two noisy children in front of her. She was planning on taking them up to Valka’s hut on the mountain ledge later to drop off some supplies but with the heavy snow she wasn’t so sure that it would be a good idea. Sighing, she pushed two bowls of stewed fruit towards the children and pondered what to do. Maybe she could cut some firewood for tonight, she thought. Cutting firewood was unfortunately the only thing her axe was used for these days. There were now no risks of dragon hunters or warlords and the chances of raids happening were next to none.

A knock at the door pulled Astrid from her thoughts and she opened it to see Gobber standing there. 

“Gobber!” she said and beckoned him inside out of the cold. The large man thanked her and squeezed through the doorway. Zephyr and Nuffink bounded towards him and hugged him around his middle. 

“Grumpa!” they exclaimed with excitement and he chuckled.

“Morning wee ones! Have yer been good for your mom?” he asked them and they both nodded vigorously.

“What can we do for you Gobber?” Astrid asked as she led him to their living room.

“I just bumped into Hiccup down by the docks and he said that there was still some of ol Stoick’s stuff in the attic and well er I was wondering if I could take a peek if yer wouldn’t mind?” Gobber asked. He lifted his good arm with Nuffink and Zephyr hanging off it, both squealing in delight as they dangled above the ground.

Astrid blinked in surprise “Of course I think we stored it up in the attic. Maybe take the kids with you as well, they could give you a hand.”

“Thanks lass,” replied Gobber and hoisted Nuffink up onto his shoulder. Astrid watched them go before going to get her axe, deciding to chop more firewood outside while the kids were occupied. 

“Grumpa what are we looking for of Grandpa’s?” Zephyr asked, her blue eyes searching the dusty attic as she swatted at the cobwebs in front of her. Gobber set Nuffink down and looked around at all the items around him.

“I can’t tell yer yet lass but how about you have a look around and see what you can find?” he suggested, and she nodded before heading off into a corner where there were stacks of books sitting in dusty towers. Nuffink followed her, trying to avoid all the cobwebs and frantically brushing when one attached to his tunic.

Gobber waited until they were busy before he turned around and began to search through the clutter. _It has to be here,_ he thought to himself. He pulled apart some things before coming across a cylinder-shaped device underneath some old rolls of parchment. His face broke out in a wide grin as he inspected it closely, it needed some maintenance, but he was sure he could make it work. _We will be reunited soon my friend,_ he thought to himself as he quickly covered it up

Zephyr and Nuffink hadn’t noticed Gobber’s find and were still preoccupied with the books they had found. Zephyr picked up a book and saw a picture of a dragon on the front. She flicked through the first page and gasped when she saw a picture of a dragon with a person half hanging out of its giant mouth.

“This doesn’t look like the dragons that mom and dad told us about” she said to herself as she continued to flick through the pages. Nuffink dropped his book and came over to her to see for himself. 

“Nuffink, these dragons’ are monsters!”

Nuffink frowned and looked confused for a second, “Dragons’…aren’t our friends?” he asked her, and Zephyr held up the book to him and pointed. He yelled and quickly covered his eyes which caught Gobber’s attention.

“What have yer got there lass?” he asked, and she quickly shut the book giving him an innocent smile. 

“Nothing, just one of granddad's old books,” she replied, and he nodded. 

Well I’ve found what I needed so how bout we get out of here before we start growing our own cobwebs.”

The kids stood and brushed their clothes off before following him down the stairs. Zephyr clutched the book under her arm, determined to find the truth about dragons.

Gobber left soon after and Astrid was busy stacking newly cut firewood outside which left Zephyr to study the book closer. She was shocked to see all the dragons that her father and mother had spoken so passionately about were nothing more than fire breathing killing machines. She slammed the book shut and headed outside. If there were dragons out there, then she needed to protect everyone and set a trap just in case they ever did come back.

She quickly checked that Astrid was still busy before ducking around the side of the house and picking up the smaller axe that her parents used to make kindling and set to work on her trap. _No dragons are ever going to eat us,_ she thought with determination as she brought the axe down on a small log. 


	2. Reverse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight NSFW in this chapter.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Httyd or any of its characters. All rights remain with Dreamworks.

It was nearing nightfall by the time Hiccup managed to complete all his chiefly duties for the day. He set for home as soon as he could, eager to be with his wife and children. The thick snow made it difficult to tread through with a metal leg, but he made it home, walking up the stairs to the hut to reach out to open the front door. Before he could turn the handle, something hit him with such a force that he was flung off the porch and into a mound of snow off to the side of the hut.

Groaning, Hiccup sat up and shivered, putting a hand on his side which was throbbing from whatever had slammed into him moments before. He looked back up to the porch to see Zephyr and Nuffink jumping up and down and an alarmed Astrid who had her hand braced on a swinging tree trunk.

“Zephyr? Did you do this?” she asked sternly before walking down the steps towards Hiccup. Zephyr gave Nuffink a sheepish look and then gave Astrid a nod. “We will discuss this soon young lady” Astrid said, and she held her hand out to help Hiccup out of the snow.

“Thanks,” he said breathlessly while brushing snow off his leather’s. “Interesting…contraption there,” he said, gesturing towards the hanging tree stump. The kids exchanged nervous glances but came down to see if he was ok.

“Guess she takes after you,” Astrid shrugged, helping him up the stairs and into the house. Hiccup chuckled at that and eased himself into a chair. “Zephyr, explain yourself?” Astrid scolded with her hands on her hips.

Zephyr sighed and picked up the book, opening it to a page illustrating a Whispering Death dragon devouring what looked to be a human. Astrid and Hiccup both gasped and Zephyr flicked through the other pages to prove her point. 

“I was trying to protect us, since you guys are obviously wrong about dragons’ and think they are all friendly when really, they are monsters.”

Hiccup leaned forward to take the book from her. “Where did you get this from, I thought this stuff was burnt?”

“It was in grandpa’s stuff, Nuffink and I found it when we were helping Grumpa,” Zephyr said, folding her arms.

“Zephyr, this book…it’s wrong. It’s when Vikings thought they were monsters’ and then they learnt the truth, and they became our friends,” Hiccup told her, cringing as he looked through the book himself.

“Oh yeah, how do we know you aren’t just lying to us because you think we are too little,” Zephyr asked and Nuffink nodded along with her.

“Because we wouldn’t lie to you. Everything we told you is the truth,” Astrid replied, getting down to their level. Both children looked at her, one eyebrow raised.

“What happened to dad’s leg then? And Grumpa’s arm and leg?” Zephyr asked and Hiccup winced. They hadn’t discussed that memory with them yet.

“Look, when you are old enough, we will talk about that but until then you have to trust us. Dragons are not monster’s,” Hiccup told her firmly. Zephyr huffed and took Nuffink’s hand, leading him away from their stunned parent’s.

“Maybe it is a good thing the dragons did go to the Hidden World; I hope they stay there!” Zephyr spat, before she and Nuffink both left the room.

“I don’t believe it,” Astrid murmured, and Hiccup nodded in agreement, also shocked at her words.

“How did this even happen, we can’t let our kids hate dragons Astrid, we can’t let the next generation fear them like we all did as kids.”

“You’re right, but what can we do about it? There’s no dragons around to really prove it to them since they are still in the Hidden World and it’s not like we can find it without a dragon,” Astrid replied with a heavy sigh, sitting down next to him.

“We will have to think of a plan, I’ll think of something,” said Hiccup, throwing the book to the floor. He would have to throw that in the fire later. Even if it was part of his dad’s things, it wasn’t exactly a part he wanted to remember.

“You’re right…and I think we should go see Gobber as well. He’s been acting a bit strange and I think he’s feeling a bit lonely,” Astrid remarked, getting up to fetch Hiccup his dinner that had been forgotten about due to him getting catapulted into the snow earlier. Astrid and the kids had already eaten.

He took it gratefully. “Yeah I was thinking the same thing when I saw him earlier. Ever since Mom and Eret left a few days ago he’s being moping about.” Valka and Eret had been sent on a diplomatic mission on his behalf and were due back before Snoggletog. “We should all drop by and see him tomorrow morning, maybe he might be able to help persuade the kids about the whole dragons thing.”

Astrid gave him a smile before heading off to bathe the kids and get them ready for bed, leaving Hiccup to his thoughts. Memories of Toothless flooded through his mind as he laid his head back against the wall. He missed the Night Fury even more, wishing that he was here to help his children realise the truth. He couldn’t let his children resort to hating dragons, not when they had come so far compared to how it was when he and Astrid had been younger. Sighing, Hiccup decided to figure it out later and went to help Astrid with getting the kids ready for bed. 

“Do you want a bedtime story?” he asked Nuffink who bopped up and down, nodding in excitement as Hiccup attempted to tuck him in. “Hmm let me see, did I ever tell you about the time we had to sing to a baby dragon to get it to stop crying?”

“You mean the Deathsong dragon named Garf? The dragon that lures its prey with a song and then traps them in amber so it can eat them?” Zephyr asked, shaking her head and rolling over so her back was to them. Nuffink gasped and looked at Hiccup with wide eyes.

“Err ok well…Garf was actually a nice dragon and was close friends with your Mom and Stormfly,” Hiccup said. No response. He sighed and gave each child a kiss good night. Astrid was leaning in the doorway with a concerned expression on her face, having watched the conversation. The kids' fear for dragons was obviously worse than what they had thought.

They waited for the kids to fall asleep and decided to try and work out a plan to help them understand. They would of course include their other fellow dragon riders to help. Even though everyone had grown up, they were all still close with each other. 

“Maybe we could put on some sort of show for the kids of New Berk? About the dragons?” Astrid suggested, but then thought for a moment and shook her head. “No that won’t work, they need to see actual proof to believe it, especially Zephyr.”

“Hmm you are right about that, I’m out of ideas though. Hopefully Gobber will have something,” Hiccup said, dejectedly. Astrid gave him a small smile and put her hand in his, pulling him to his feet. He let her lead him to their bedroom where she helped detach his prosthetic so he could get undressed. Astrid gasped when he pulled his shirt over his head.

“Oh, my gods, your rib!” She exclaimed, lightly running her fingers down his side where he had been hit by the trunk. There was a dark bruise forming there.

“Oh, well it was definitely a well put together invention,” Hiccup half laughed but stopped when she gave him a look. “It’s fine honey, I’ve had worse remember.”

Astrid shook her head and pulled her vest and top off leaving just her bindings on. Hiccup felt his blood heat up as he shamelessly eyed his wife up and down while she undid those extravagant braids, her blonde hair falling loosely down her back. He reached up and ran his hand through the silky strands. He was still in awe of her beauty and the love he had for her was indescribable. She turned to smile at him and climbed into bed next to him, pulling the covers over them both.

Hiccup lifted his arm and she wriggled forward to be embraced by him, careful of his bruised rib. They lay there in content until Hiccup boldly started fiddling with the tie of her top bindings. 

“Seriously, you have an injured rib and you are trying to seduce me,” she said, with an amused smile. Hiccup gave her a shrug.

“As I said milady, I’ve had worse. Besides, it could take my mind off the pain,” he said, raising his eyebrows cheekily. Astrid sat up again, reaching behind her to undo the tie and he helped her unravel it. He gulped again as she pushed him gently onto his back and straddled him.

“I think I have an idea on how I could do that,” she whispered in his ear before kissing him slowly. She was keeping most of her weight off him, careful not to cause him any pain but he was eager to feel all of her and pulled her flush against him.

“Mmm definitely working,” he murmured against her shoulder as she sunk down to envelope him into her warm heat. She slowly rocked against him causing his breath to hitch and hands to tighten around her. His pain now long forgotten. 

***

The next morning, they all headed to Gobber’s, hoping he could help them with the situation. They bumped into Snotlout and Tuffnut who were heading to the Meade hall to have breakfast.

“Uncle Tuff, Uncle Snot,” Nuffink cried out and ran towards them. Snotlout caught him and lifted him up onto his shoulder.

“Hey there squirt,” Snotlout said and walked towards Hiccup and Astrid who were followed by a sour Zephyr. “What’s up with Zephyr?”

“Well Zephyr found one of Dad’s old dragon books and let’s just say, she believes they are monsters instead of our friends and has even started laying traps for them,” Hiccup said, scratching the back of his neck. Snotlout and Tuffnut recoiled in shock.

“What? Hate dragons? Geez I wouldn’t have thought your kid would be the one to fear dragons, H,” Tuffnut said, looking down at Zephyr who had her arms crossed.

“Well we are trying to find a way to prove her wrong, she doesn’t seem to believe our stories now,” Astrid sighed.

“Count us in,” Snotlout said. “We can’t let any of the kids hate dragons. It’s just not right.” Tuffnut nodded enthusiastically.

“We are going to see Gobber, see what he has to say about it,” Hiccup said. “We will keep you guys in the loop and let you know what we decide.” Snotlout lowered Nuffink to his feet and together he and Tuffnut carried on their way, murmuring how ironic it was that it was Hiccup’s kid out of everyone, who hated dragons.

The Haddocks continued along to Gobber’s hut until they finally made it. Hiccup knocked and waited but there was no answer. He glanced at Astrid and knocked again, louder this time. There was a stomping noise behind the door and then it was flung open to reveal a rather flustered Gobber.

“Oh, it’s all yer lot, come in, come in,” he said, and they all followed him inside. “I’ve just been working on a little project here, what can I do for yer?”

Hiccup went forward to fill him in and Astrid turned to their children. 

“Right, no touching any of Grumpa’s work or getting into mischief OK?” 

Zephyr and Nuffink both nodded, before going off to investigate the workshop. Astrid joined Hiccup and Gobber, who were both animatedly discussing plans for Snoggletog.

“Want to play hide n seek?” Nuffink asked Zephyr. Zephyr nodded, closing her eyes and starting to count. The blonde boy took off in search of a hiding place, coming to a table that was covered with a large cloth. Zephyr finished counting and then turned to begin looking for him. She looked under a few tables and behind a few of Gobber’s strange trinkets until she came to the table that he was hiding under and lifted the cloth revealing him.

“Found you,” she said. He groaned and crawled forwards, accidently getting tangled in the cloth that covered the table and ended up pulling it with him, exposing the contents that it was hiding. 

“Nuffink!” she hissed as he stammered an apology. She quickly glanced at the adults who had luckily remained oblivious to what had happened and then turned back to the objects on the table. She picked up a small cylinder-shaped gadget, it was an odd object covered in cryptic ruins and made from wood. There were carved slots across the sides that looked like they would hold something. At the end, there were three rings that could each be rotated and had small numbers all around it.

“What is this?” she asked Nuffink, who was also picking through the objects, he looked up and shrugged. Zephyr turned the object around, trying to figure out what it was exactly. It almost looked like a telescope, although it was not. Nuffink tipped a bag holding various coloured gemstones into his small palm and held them out to her. Zephyr took them and inspected them closely. It almost looked like these gemstones would fit into the carved slots of the cylinder. Nuffink watched intently as Zephyr placed a red, blue and yellow gemstone into the slots and gasped when it began to glow, slightly vibrating.

“What the?!” she gasped and placed it down. They both turned to look at their parent’s who were still engaged in a conversation with Gobber and none the wiser. Nuffink moved closer to the device, trying to investigate the lens which was glowing brightly. “Be careful Nuffink!” she told him, and he shrunk back. 

Zephyr picked the device back up again, turning one of the rings at the end until it clicked into place. The number it was set on was 12. She moved the next ring until it clicked into place as well. The final ring was harder to move into place and she had to use both hands while holding the device between her knees. The device instantly began to glow brighter, causing the children to squint their eyes and shade them with their hand. Zephyr dropped the device again as the vibrating got stronger, leaning away from it in shock. There was a flash of light and a zapping noise as Zephyr and Nuffink Haddock disappeared into thin air. The device then cracked and fizzled before going completely silent.

“What in Thor’s name was that?” Astrid asked, turning to where the noise came from, “Kid’s what are you doing back there?”

She approached the back of the hut, towards the source of the noise with Hiccup and Gobber cautiously following behind her. “Zephyr? Nuffink? Come out and explain yourselves.” 

There was no reply. Hiccup and Gobber start looking under tables when Astrid comes across the broken device on the floor and picks it up to inspect it closely. “Is…is this what I think it is. Please tell me it’s not?” she stammered. Hiccup went over and took it from her, his face palling as he recognised the device. The stunned couple turned to look at an ashen face Gobber who was looking at the device in shock.

“It…it works?” he asked almost to himself.

“Yeah it looks like it does,” Hiccup replied, and then it hit him. “Oh no, the kids!” 

He meets Astrid’s tear-filled eyes as they both come to the realisation that their kids have just been sucked back 12 years into the past. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would love to hear your thoughts :). Also I am still getting used to using A03 so if you notice any mistakes or have any advice please let me know.


	3. Mirrored

There was a stunned silence as Hiccup, Astrid and Gobber absorbed the situation. The time travel device - which Hiccup had called the Dragon Key was now in his hands and it had just sucked his children back into the past. He had made it 11 years ago while desperately trying to find a way to bring his dad back after his death. When it had failed, Hiccup had thrown the Dragon Key into storage and forgotten all about it. But now it was in his hands again and this time it hadn’t failed, it had most certainly worked and the missing children were proof of that. 

He had managed to work out that Zephyr and Nuffink had been taken back 12 years into the past and would likely be somewhere near Berk judging by the coordinates on the second ring before it had activated. They could simply activate it again and go back to retrieve the kids except there was only one small problem, it was now broken and the gemstones that it needed had already been absorbed. There would also be the problem of getting back to the present time.

“What can we do?” Astrid asked in a distressed voice, starting to sift around the other items on the table as though the solution would be there. Hiccup sighed and put the device down, taking his wife gently by the arms to stop her panicked rummaging. She was breathing heavily, tears pooling in her eyes as she met Hiccup’s equally distressed eyes.

“I need to fix it, Astrid, but it…it will take some time and we are going to have to get more gemstones,” Hiccup told her. Astrid shook her head, lip trembling and he pulled her into an embrace. “We will get them back, I promise you.”

“Hiccup, our children are terrified of dragons and they are now going to be surrounded by them,” said Astrid, her voice shaky. Zephyr was resourceful and Astrid had no doubt that she would look out for her younger brother, but the thought of her encountering a wild dragon with her current mindset was not a good one. Hiccup was thinking the same thing although he held hope that the kids would be found by someone from Berk or at least one of their allies instead of a wild dragon. 

Gobber cleared his throat nervously, causing them to separate and look at him standing in the corner. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea that they would know how ter work it.”

“Is this what you took from the attic, from Dad’s things?” Hiccup asked, and Astrid’s eyes widened in realisation. Gobber nodded sadly not meeting their eyes.

“I wanted ter see if I could get it ter work,” Gobber admitted, dejectedly, “I wanted ter see him again.” Hiccup sighed, walking over to the man to put a hand on his shoulder.

“I know you miss him Gobber, I miss him as well but how did you even know how to make it work? I worked on it for months and couldn’t get it to work?” Hiccup said.

“Er well I don’t know; I was working on it when you two turned up,” he said, gesturing to the parchment rolls that lay on the table. Hiccup sifted through the papers, recognising the diagrams that he had drawn in his attempt to create the Dragon Key all those years ago. He gathered these diagrams up, they were going to be necessary in repairing it after all.

Astrid was giving Gobber a glare and the old man hung his head, “I’m so sorry lass,” he said, and her glare intensified.

“If anything happens to my children, I swear to the gods!” she hissed angrily, causing him to recoil. Hiccup walked over and gently directed her towards the door, grateful that she was complying and that she didn’t have her axe on her.

Astrid stormed out of the hut with Hiccup following behind her. “Astrid, please just wait a minute,” Hiccup called, and she stopped so abruptly that he almost knocked into her. 

“We need to make a plan first, let’s go get the rest of the gang ok, we will need their help,” he said gently, giving her a searching look. Astrid's expression softened and she nodded in defeat, knowing he was right, and that doing something impulsive was not going to help get Zephyr and Nuffink back. “Let’s go to Fishlegs first,” he suggested.

****

Zephyr blinked, struggling to adjust to the brightness as she came to. She was lying on damp, coarse ground with large trees towering above her. There was no snow here although the air was still bitterly cold. She got to her feet and surveyed her surroundings. It was not familiar to her and this made her nervous.

“Mom? Dad?” she called out, “Nuffink? Where are you?” 

She listened but there was no reply except for the birds chirping. Suddenly, she heard a groan from a few feet away and ran over to the source. Pulling at a few bushes, she uncovered a groggy Nuffink who was covered head to toe in dirt

“Nuffink! I thought I was all alone,” Zephyr cried, pulling the small boy to his feet. Nuffink looked around confused as his older sister brushed the dirt off him.

“Where are we? Where’s mom and dad?” he asked her, looking slightly nervous.

Zephyr sighed, “I don’t know. I’ve never seen this place before. One minute we were in Grumpa’s hut with that thing and next minute we are here. It was like it sucked us into it and then brought us here.”

Nuffink sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve and scuffing his boot in the dirt. He was obviously trying not to cry; Zephyr could tell but she made no comment. Instead she pulled her brother close to comfort him. 

“It’s ok Nuffink, I’ll look after you and we’ll find our way back or mom and dad will come and find us.” He nodded and took her hand.

The two children set off through the forest, listening for any sound or sight of people or even a village. They walked for what seemed like hours until they came to a little opening through some large boulders. Zephyr motioned to Nuffink to follow her and he did so cautiously. She jumped down from the boulder onto sand and surveyed the area. It appeared to be a small cove, with a small body of water and slightly sheltered from the harsh cold air. Nuffink dropped down beside her and together they went to inspect the water.

“Hopefully there is some fish we can catch and eat,” Nuffink said hopefully as he peered into the water. A few small fish swam past in the shallows which confirmed that there was at least something to eat here. Catching it would be the problem now. Zephyr grabbed a long stick nearby and took out her small dagger that was hidden in her boot. It was blunt because her parents would never let her use the sharp ones, but it would be enough to sharpen the stick into a small spear. She got to work and sent Nuffink away to collect some rocks and twigs to make a little fire pit. Hiccup and Astrid had taught her how to make a fire and they would need one to cook the fish they would hopefully catch with this spear.

The sound of flapping wings caused Zephyr to freeze and she glanced up to the sky to see two large figures approaching. She quickly got to her feet and ran over to Nuffink who was busy putting the rocks and twigs in a pile, pulling him over to hide behind the boulders by the opening. He began to protest but she put her hand over his mouth and motioned to the sky where the figures were getting closer.

They were dragons, what kind Zephyr couldn’t tell but there was no way they would be friendly. Not after what she had read in Grandad’s book. She pulled Nuffink closer to her, hoping to the gods that the dragons would just fly overhead and not stop in this cove. But she inwardly groaned when the flapping noise became louder and more frantic as the two dragons landed near the body of water she had just been sitting at. Then she heard voices, but they were too far away to hear what they were saying. The voices sounded almost familiar to Zephyr which sparked curiosity. She risked peeking around the boulder to see the two dragons playing by the water, behind them she could barely see the heads of two teenagers who were luckily facing away from their hiding spot and appeared to be focused on each other. Arching upwards, she strained her neck closer to listen to their conversation.

“It feels good to get away,” the girl said, stretching her arms above her head. The boy chuckled and gave her an amused look.

“Give them half an hour and they will start looking for us,” he said, pulling her into his arms. The girl rolled her eyes and looped her hands around his neck while he rested his around her waist. The boy pulled her into a kiss which she returned eagerly. “I don’t think I will ever get used to doing that,” he said breathlessly as they broke apart.

Zephyr wrinkled her nose in disgust and shrunk back behind the boulder where Nuffink was. Hopefully these teenagers would leave soon and take those dragons with them. Nuffink nudged her and she gave him a look that said be quiet. He ignored her and whispered, 

“How come those dragons aren’t bad dragons and they aren’t hurting those people?” 

Zephyr shrugged, she could still hear the teenagers talking behind her and the sound of scuffling from the dragons.

The scuffling stopped suddenly and one of the dragon’s gave a squawk causing both Zephyr and Nuffink to jump. 

“What is it girl?” the girl asked and there was the sound of flapping wings again. Before Zephyr and Nuffink could react, there was a thud above them, and they looked up to see the huge head of a dragon peering down at them causing them to scream in fear.

“Run Nuffink!” Zephyr cried out and he stumbled forwards to break into a run with her right behind him. The dragon squawked again and took after them with a flap of its wings. They began to zig zag through the trees, not daring to look back at the dragon who was following them. Then, Nuffink tripped over a tree root causing him to land face first on the forest floor. Zephyr skidded to a halt and quickly ran over to him. She tried to help him to his feet, but it was too late. The dragon closed in on them with a loud squawk, peering at them with its big yellow eyes. Zephyr lifted her small dagger with shaking hands, aiming it directly at the blue dragon while standing in front of Nuffink as though to shield him. She knew it was pointless and this dragon was capable of devouring both of them in one bite, but she wasn’t going to go down easily. The dragon tilted its head, eying the dagger wearily but didn’t make another move.

There was another roar above them, and the other dragon landed with the two teenagers on its back. “Stormfly?” the girl said, jumping from the dragon and running over, “What did you find girl?” 

The dragon squawked again, moving its head to reveal the children cowering in front. The girl’s eyes widened, and she came closer. “They’re just…kids.” 

The boy got off the dragon and came to stand beside her. Zephyr kept her dagger up, not yet sure that they could trust these two teenagers who rode dragons.

“It’s ok, we aren’t going to hurt you,” the boy said, raising his palms up. Zephyr slightly lowered her dagger as she took in the appearance of the two teenagers in front of her. The girl had blonde hair tied in a braid with loose bangs that framed her heart shaped face, her eyes were a deep, cerulean colour like Zephyr’s own eyes. The tall and lanky boy next to her had scruffy auburn hair and emerald green eyes that were almost too familiar. Zephyr slowly turned to look at Nuffink who was holding on to the hem of her top, his own emerald green eyes mirrored those of the ones that stood before her and the scruffy hair on top of his head was the same shade of blonde as the teenage girl.

She turned back to the teenagers who were silently communicating to each other and to the dragons who were eying them curiously. She noticed the boy had a prosthetic attached to his left leg…just like their father. Then it dawned on her. They were looking at the teenage version of their parent’s. 

“Are you Hiccup and Astrid?” she asked them. This broke them out of their silent discussion and they both nodded slowly, moving closer with their hands outstretched and palms up to show that they meant no harm. Zephyr dropped her dagger and rushed forward to eagerly wrap her arms around Astrid who recoiled in shock. Nuffink followed suit and wrapped his arms around Astrid’s other leg. Astrid looked down at the two children and then back at Hiccup who was just as confused as she was.

“Ah, do we know you?” she asked, gently and Zephyr turned her head to look up at her.

“It’s a long story but we are your children,” she told her in a serious voice. Astrid’s eyes widened and her mouth opened but no noise came out. She looked at Hiccup who was still speechless.

“I think you have us mistaken…we don’t have any children, we are barely even adults ourselves,” Astrid replied, carefully prying the children off her leg and getting down to their level.

“No, you don’t understand, we are from the future. We were playing in Grumpa’s hut and then we found a device that had all these ruins on it, and you could put these gemstones in it, so we did and then we ended up here,” Zephyr stammered. Hiccup and Astrid still looked unconvinced, but they had to help these children, they could figure out the rest later.

“Come on, let’s get you guys back to Berk, it’s getting late and you’ll catch a cold out here,” Hiccup said, and he held his hand out to them. Nuffink took his hand and let him lead him towards Toothless. As the dragon turned his head, Nuffink pulled back with a frightened gasp. “No, it’s ok this is Toothless, he won’t hurt you” Hiccup assured him, and held his hand out to the dragon. Toothless warbled happily and placed his nose against Hiccup’s outstretched hand. “See, now you try,” Hiccup encouraged and gave the boy a slight push forward.

Nuffink hesitated for a moment but then held his hand out while covering his eyes with the other. Toothless gently placed his nose into the small, trembling hand and Nuffink turned to look at him in shock and then awe.

“See, he’s a friend,” Hiccup said as he lifted him into the saddle before jumping on behind him. Astrid turned to Zephyr and held her hand out.

“Come on, you can ride with me,” she said kindly and Zephyr nodded hesitantly, letting her lead her over to Stormfly. Zephyr stretched out her hand, heart beating as the dragon leant her large head down to meet it. The dragon’s scales were warm and rough under her hand and she couldn’t help but be amazed by the large creature before her. _Mom and dad were right,_ she thought to herself as she stroked Stormfly’s scales.

Astrid lifted her onto the saddle and climbed on, placing her arms around her securely. “Hold on tight,” she told Zephyr who nodded and clutched the front of the saddle tightly. The dragon then flapped her wings and lifted into the air suddenly causing Zephyr to gasp and lean heavily against Astrid behind her. Nuffink was shouting with glee as Toothless took to the air to appear beside them, Hiccup gave Astrid an amused look which she returned as he urged Toothless forward to overtake them. Not wanting to be outdone, Astrid leant down to Zephyr “What do you say we beat those guys?” Zephyr nodded with a giggle and held on tighter as Astrid encouraged Stormfly to go faster.

The two dragons zipped through the air, dodging tree lines before coming to the edges of Berk. Hiccup maneuvered Toothless next to Stormfly, “Astrid, we should go speak with my dad, he will be able to help us with…this situation.” 

Astrid nodded in agreement and they landed the dragons outside the Chief’s hut.

“Back so soon?” a voice boomed out and Stoick the Vast exited the hut causing Zephyr and Nuffink to gasp as they laid eyes on their grandad for the very first time.

“Grandad!” Nuffink yelled out, clambering down from Toothless with Hiccup’s help and running over to the gobsmacked Chief.

“What in Thor’s name?! Hiccup? Will someone explain to me what is going on?” he asked as he stared down at the blonde boy who was looking up at him with complete amazement.

“Well you see dad, it’s a long story and the thing is we don’t really know how to explain it,” Hiccup explained, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Astrid sighed and helped Zephyr down from Stormfly.

“Let’s just go inside and discuss it there,” she suggested, and Hiccup nodded before leading them all into the hut.

 _There was no way these children could be theirs_ , Hiccup thought to himself, _time travel wasn’t possible. Or was it?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any one notices any mistakes please let me know. I'm writing this at night to keep myself awake and while I do try and double check my work, I may miss something :).


	4. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Younger Astrid and Hiccup question Zephyr and Nuffink about the future after Stoick is cautious. Older Hiccup and Astrid rally the group back together to go on a mission to save their children.

Stoick pinched the bridge of his nose, appearing to be one step away from needing an ice brick on his head. Hiccup and Astrid stood in front of him sheepishly while the two children gave him innocent looks. It had been hard for anyone to understand them considering they had kept speaking over each other. 

“Just tell me this, how old are you both?”

“I’m seven and he’s five,” Zephyr replied. Stoick relaxed a bit as he did the math in his head, his earlier suspicions gone. There was no possible way they could be Hiccup and Astrid’s children – well not the ones in front of him anyway. He still shot Hiccup a look that said they would be having an interesting conversation later.

“Right then, anyone hungry?” Stoick asked, gesturing towards the table where there were some bowls of stew and loaves of bread. Nuffink nodded eagerly and ran towards it to climb into a chair, Zephyr following close behind.

Stoick turned back to the teenagers. “So, I assume you have a plan on what to do here, son?” Hiccup put a hand to his hair, a lost look on his face before turning to Astrid.

“Well there is no doubt they are our children from the future. They look exactly like us and – the kransen Zephyr’s wearing is the same one I’m wearing right now,” Astrid pointed out. Hiccup and Stoick both looked from the one on Astrid’s head to the one on Zephyr’s. They were certainly similar.

“Is there a chance someone could have brought one just like that and planted these children here as a trap? To spy?” Stoick asked. He agreed that they looked like Hiccup and Astrid. He wanted to believe that these children were in fact his grandchildren from the future, but time travel was not exactly common in the Archipelago. There was also a chance that Viggo could have sent them as a distraction.

Astrid shook her head, “No, this kransen has been a part of my mother’s family for generations, so it’s unlikely.”

“It is possible that someone sent them. What if we ask questions that only we would know the answers to?” Hiccup suggested and Stoick nodded in agreement.

“Hey ah Zephyr, Nuffink, do you mind if we ask you kids some questions about – well you know, just about us,” Hiccup asked, taking a seat at the table. Zephyr nodded, putting her bread down to look at him intently. He thought of things that Viggo or no other dragon hunter would know. “Can you tell me what date my birthday is?”

Zephyr raised her eyebrows, “It’s February 29 th but that only happens every four years, so we have to celebrate on the 28 th of February instead.”

Stoick folded his arms, nodding in approval. Astrid smiled a bit and came forwards. “OK, what are your grandmothers’ names?”

“Valka Haddock and Brenda Hofferson,” Nuffink replied.

“OK last one, can you tell me the story of how I met Toothless?” asked Hiccup.

Zephyr pursed her lips for a moment, “You shot him down trying to prove what a great Viking you were to the village of Berk and then you decided you couldn’t kill him. You ended up becoming friends instead. That’s the story you told us, anyway, is it the truth? Because you and mom lied to us about dragon’s being friendly when really they were all just monsters?”

Hiccup’s smile faded at her words and he looked to Astrid and Stoick in confusion. “Wait a minute, what do you mean we lied? Dragon’s are our friends, just look at Toothless and Stormfly. Didn’t you guys like riding them?”

“And what do you mean by they were?” questioned Astrid gently.

“I liked riding him,” Nuffink piped up when there was an awkward silence.

“Dragon’s don’t exist anymore. You had to send them away,” Zephyr answered causing them all to gasp.

“What?! Why?” Hiccup stammered.

“They had to go away because they were being hunted all the time. And I’m glad they did because when we found out the truth from Grandpa’s book in the attic, we saw the truth that they were all just monsters after all.”

“Why were my books in the attic?” Stoick asked, confused.

Nuffink turned to him, brows furrowed, “Because back home you – OW!” Zephyr aimed a kick at his leg under the table causing him to flinch and rub the spot, glaring at her as he did so.

“You asked mom and dad to look after the stuff because you had no room in yours,” Zephyr said, giving him her best fake smile. Even at her young age, she knew it would not be a good idea to disclose anything too big from the future, in case there were consequences of altering the past. Stoick seemed to accept this answer much to her relief. Hiccup and Astrid however weren’t so convinced and were looking at each other, having a silent conversation.

“Right then, until we figure out how to get you two back to where you belong - we need to decide what we are going to tell people,” Stoick remarked.

“I think the less people that know about it the better,” Astrid said. “We should tell the rest of the riders maybe as the kids will have to come back with us when we return to the Edge tomorrow.”

“Yeah I think you are right,” Hiccup agreed. Stoick however looked unconvinced.

“So, you two are going to raise these kids on that island while in a war with a crime lord? Do you really think that is the best decision son?”

“We have no other choice; we need to keep them close especially while we work out how we are going to get them back to the future. If older me and older Astrid comes back to get them then the first place they are going to look is where we were at this time.”

Stoick sighed, “I just hope you two know what you are doing.”

They all ate dinner together and it was decided that Zephyr and Nuffink would stay in the Haddock hut until tomorrow when they would return to the Edge. After making them beds in his loft, Hiccup and Astrid waited until they were in bed before he walked her outside, out of ear shot of Stoick.

“So, ah – been dating less than two days and we already have two kids.” He laughed nervously. Astrid nervously laughed as well, glancing back to the hut.

“Yeah – I’m not even sure how to feel about it to be honest.”

“Me neither, but we will look after them until we figure out how to send them back. I don’t really want to mess with a mama bear Astrid,” Hiccup said, giving her a teasing smile.

Astrid gave him a mock glare, but then enveloped him in a hug, “Fair enough, and just so you know…I think you would be a great dad.” Hiccup blushed and gave her a quick kiss goodnight. They hadn’t told anyone of their relationship yet, instead deciding they would like to keep it to themselves for a while longer.

Cheeks still warm from her words and their kiss, Hiccup re-entered his hut to see his dad sitting in his armchair tapping his fingers nervously. 

“Dad?”

“Oh, er son – I was thinking that maybe we should have a…talk.”

Hiccup paused, eyebrows raising, “A talk. Haven’t we been doing that for the past hour and a half?”

“No not that kind of talk. I mean a talk about what is happening between you and Astrid.”

If Hiccup’s face wasn’t red enough before, it sure as hell was now.

“We are just friends dad.”

Stoick snorted, “You can’t fool me son, for the past few days things have changed between you and Astrid – and it’s not just because your kids from the future are here either.”

Hiccup sighed, “OK fine we are together but please keep it to yourself. We’ve decided we will tell everyone soon but for now we just want it to stay between us.”

“I understand and I won’t say anything. It is probably for the best considering the circumstances. Just promise me you will be responsible.”

Hiccup nodded, face burning as he climbed the stairs to his loft, going over to his desk as quietly as he could so he wouldn’t disturb the sleeping children. Toothless raised his head sleepily from his tree stump and Hiccup raised a finger to his mouth to tell him to keep quiet. The dragon blinked a few times before curling his head back under his wing.

Hiccup glanced back at the sleeping forms of Zephyr and Nuffink and his heart warmed a bit. He couldn’t believe that he was getting a glimpse of what would be in his future. But something Nuffink had said bothered him. It was when his father had asked him why his dragon books were in the attic and then Zephyr’s reaction to Nuffink when he began answering. It made him nervous, what if he lost his dad. He had already lost his mom when he was just a babe. He didn’t know if he could stand to lose him as well. 

And then there was the statement that he had to send the dragons away. That meant Toothless wouldn’t be there. The thought of his best friend not being with him anymore hurt. Maybe he would have to discuss it more with Zephyr tomorrow. Sighing, Hiccup decided to not overthink it and go to bed. He needed to focus on getting the Dragon Eye back plus returning the kids to the future where they belonged. 

****

Older Hiccup waited for the four vacant faces in front of him to finally process what he and Astrid had just finished telling them. Fishlegs had a thoughtful look on his face while he took the information in but the rest of them were looking at the duo with gobsmacked expressions. 

“You know Hiccup, when you said you guys were trying to find a way to get your kids to  _ like  _ dragons, I didn’t think you would go so far as to send them back in the past to be with them,” Snotlout quipped, shaking his head with arms crossed.

“I mean, it’s probably effective if you really think about it…unless you sent them back to when Vikings and dragons were still enemies,” Tuffnut added.

“I mean woah - I lose Fishnut occasionally, but I can’t say I’ve ever lost him in the past before,” said Ruffnut, holding the squirming toddler in her arms. 

“What? We didn’t send them back, they managed to get the device and activate it themselves. Were you guys not listening to a word we just said!” Hiccup replied, throwing his hands up in frustration.

Tuffnut held up his palms in mock surrender, “Hey no judgement H, it’s ok if you are just trying to excuse your bad parenting decisions.” Hiccup groaned and turned to look at Astrid for support, but she was standing away from the group and looking out the window, a distant look upon her face. He was about to approach her when Fishlegs asked to see the Dragon Key. Hiccup handed it over and he laid it on his table to inspect it closely.

“Is this the same device you made back when Stoick…?”.

Hiccup nodded, the memory of himself breaking down in the days after his father had died came back to him and caused a lump to form in his throat. He remembered trashing all his drawings and inventions to the floor in his despair when he had come across his old concept drawings of the Dragon Eye 2. The idea for the Dragon Key had come to him at that moment. It had a body similar to the Dragon Eye 2 and would also use gemstones to power it. He had tried multiple times to get it to work but after a while he had given up and accepted the fact it was not possible. He placed the Dragon Key in with his father’s belongings and put it up in their attic.

He had told Astrid and the rest of the gang his plans and while they were supportive of his attempts, he knew that they didn’t believe such a thing would be possible. Never would he have thought it would start working now.

“Do you have any more gemstone’s?” Fishlegs asked and Hiccup shook his head. The kids had used the last of them. His shoulders slumped a bit and he went back to inspecting it. Astrid had come over now and her hand brushed Hiccup’s as she stood next to him. He took it in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“I think we might be able to get it to work if we use the same coordinates that the kids used and if you fix the crack somehow. But then we also need to get more gemstones to power it,” Fishlegs said, handing it back to Hiccup.

“OK so where do we get these gemstones?” Snotlout asked, arms folded. The others looked at Hiccup expectedly and he thought hard for a moment.

“We will likely have to search the Mineral Islands for the gemstones.” he said, and they all groaned in unison.

“The Mineral Islands are ages away. We will be sailing for at least a month there and back,” Snotlout complained but quickly sobered up when Astrid shot him a glare.

“I know…but it’s the only place I can think of,” Hiccup answered, giving the group a hopeful look. The other exchanged looks before Tuffnut threw his hands up.

“I’m with him, who else?!”

The others agreed to come and they all parted ways to get ready for the trip. Ruffnut and Fishlegs were going to ask his parents to watch Fishnut while they were away and Snotlout and Tuffnut had agreed to get food supplies. That left Astrid and Hiccup to organise the chiefly responsibilities during their absence. Hiccup knew it was not the best timing to be leaving New Berk around Snoggletog but their kids were more important and they would do anything to get them back.


	5. Close calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiccup and Astrid introduce the riders to Zephyr and Nuffink before they all return to the Edge. They have a close call and make an interesting discovery along the way.

Hiccup stretched his long limbs as he woke the next morning, yawning while rubbing his eyes. He hadn’t yet noticed the two pairs of eyes watching him from across the room until Nuffink came over and pulled at the sleeve of his tunic. Hiccup yelped in fright, causing Nuffink to also recoil and move back with wide eyes.

“What! Oh, sorry Nuffink, I forgot you were even here.” Hiccup said, reaching out to him. Nuffink looked cautious for a moment but stepped forwards so that he could lift him up onto the bed next to him.

“Where’s mom?” he asked, looking behind him as though she could be hiding under the covers.

“Back at her hut,” Hiccup replied, getting up to give Toothless a scratch behind his ear and opening the shutters of the bedroom window. Zephyr got up off her cot bed and stretched.

“Can we go and see her?” she asked and Hiccup nodded.

“Sure, let’s have breakfast first and then we will go over and see if she’s up.”

The kids shot down the staircase and into the kitchen where Stoick was putting something in the pot over the fireplace.

“Morning you two. Sleep well?” he asked as they jumped up at the table, both nodding in confirmation. Hiccup joined them along with Toothless, breaking apart some bread for them and buttering it.

“We will go over to Astrid’s and then head over to the arena to meet the others. We were supposed to be heading back to the Edge today to form a plan to get the Dragon Eye back from Viggo,” Hiccup told him. Stoick nodded slowly, gesturing to the kids.

“What about these two? You can’t have them in a war Hiccup.”

Hiccup scoffed at that. “Of course, I know that, but what other choice do we have? Besides, we all grew up with wild Dragon’s raiding our backyards and I am pretty sure Astrid’s rattle would have been a miniature axe and we turned out okay – He then stops himself and looks down at his metal leg “Well mostly anyway. I’m sure these guys will be fine with us.”

Stoick chuckled with that. “Maybe you are right, son. But if you need anything you send for me right away you hear?”

“Of course, Dad,” Hiccup assured him, quickly leading Toothless and the two children out of the hut and towards Astrid’s.

Astrid was just coming out of her hut as they approached, and her face lit up when she saw them.

“Mom!” Nuffink cried and flung himself at her, Zephyr following suit. Astrid patted their heads with an awkward smile and Hiccup looked on with amusement. It was strange to see Astrid be tender with someone other than himself. Normally Hiccup was the only one that saw this side of her, but he had to admit that he liked seeing her like this.

“Morning guys. Sleep well?” she asked, leading Stormfly out from her barn that was located beside the Hofferson hut. The dragon squawked loudly, excited to see her rider though it caused Zephyr and Nuffink to quickly cower behind Hiccup. “It’s okay, she is just saying hello,” Astrid said, petting the dragon’s scaly head.

Zephyr poked her head out from behind Hiccup nervously. “She is still scary sometimes.”

Astrid gave her a smile and held her hand out as an offer to approach. Zephyr cautiously took it and let Astrid pull her to the dragon, “Just remember, the Deadly Nadder has a blind spot. If you stand in front of their nose, then that means they can’t see you. But Stormfly won’t hurt you. I promise.”

Zephyr nodded and held her hand up towards Stormfly who watched her with curious eyes before bending down to place her nose into the small palm.

“See, she trusts you. Dragon’s aren’t our enemies, most of the time they attack if they are feeling threatened,” Hiccup added, coming over with Nuffink. Zephyr smiled and looked back at Astrid.

“Can we go flying?” she asked.

“We can fly to the arena,” Astrid suggested and Hiccup nodded in agreement. Nuffink ended up going with Astrid this time while Zephyr rode with Hiccup. They launched into the sky with screams of delight as they raced to the arena, both getting there within a minute. The rest of the riders were already waiting there and looked up as they approached, each of them looking confused as to why there were two children with them.

“This is going to be interesting?” Hiccup murmured to Astrid as they descended through the gate to land in front of Fishlegs and Meatlug.

“What in the name of Thor, where did these come from?” Snotlout asked as Astrid helped Nuffink off Stormfly, placing him on the ground.

“ _These are_ children Snotlout and they are called Zephyr and Nuffink,” Astrid snapped with a glare.

“I know what they are but why are they here? I thought we were going back to the Edge?” Snotlout asked, sounding slightly confused.

“You guys are going to want to sit down for this.” Hiccup sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Tuffnut and Ruffnut exchanged confused looks and then shrugged as they sat down. Fishlegs looked between Astrid and Hiccup and then to the kids as though he was trying to put two and two together.

“They…look a lot like you guys,” he commented slowly.

“Well that is because they are our children,” Astrid admitted and the gang all gasped.

“What?! When did this happen? Wait – how did this happen. How did they even fit inside of that tiny body” Tuffnut said, gesturing to Astrid who screwed her face up in response.

“We came from the future,” Nuffink piped up.

“Wow from the future? Awesome, am I there?” Ruffnut asked with enthusiasm.

“You guys all are,” Zephyr answered.

“Nice to know we survive all this dragon hunter stuff then,” Snotlout muttered mostly to himself.

“How did they get here – from the future I mean?” Fishlegs asked Hiccup.

“Apparently I made a device that could be used for time travel and then they used it to get here.”

“On purpose?”

“It was by accident,” said Zephyr. “We were just playing in Grumpa’s hut and we found it there.”

“Grumpa?” Tuffnut asked, scratching his head.

“Gobber,” confirmed Hiccup.

“So, what are older you and Astrid doing then? Won’t you – they notice that their kids are gone?” Ruffnut remarked.

“Probably, and we have to trust that they are doing everything they can to get them back – just like we are going to do everything we can to send them back,” Hiccup replied. “But first we need to figure out what we are going to do about Viggo and the Dragon Eye. Let’s head back to the Edge.”

The others all nodded and started preparing their saddles to leave. Hiccup and Zephyr leave first with Astrid, Nuffink and the others quickly following behind to form their usual diamond formation as they flew across Berk and into the distance.

They flew for some time, chatting as per usual when a whizzing sound suddenly silenced them all. An arrow appears out of nowhere causing Astrid to veer Stormfly to the side to avoid being hit with it.

“Dragon hunters!” she cried out to the rest of the riders who are already on high alert, scanning the sea below them. She tightened her grip on Nuffink who had wide, fearful eyes at the sight of the hunters preparing the cannons below. “It’s okay, Nuffink,” she assured him. 

“Astrid! We have to get the kids out of here, give Nuffink to Fishlegs. He will take Zephyr and him out of harm’s way. I’m going to need you and Stormfly for this,” Hiccup yelled over the commotion. Astrid nodded and helped Nuffink to stand up on the saddle, passing him over to Fishlegs who was hovering next to them on Meatlug. Hiccup quickly flew past and dropped Zephyr on his back before directing Toothless back down to the dragon hunter’s boat. Fishlegs looked relieved to not be part of the fight and moved away from the battle zone with the two children clutching on to him.

Astrid and Stormfly took out the sails by shredding it with a bombardment of her tail spines while Snotlout and Hookfang followed with a row of flames to the deck. The dragon hunters were cursing them in anger while attempting to shoot dragon root arrows in every direction, missing them by miles. Hiccup circled the boat, watching as the hunters started to jump overboard to avoid being burnt alive as the twins created an explosion on deck. He then noticed a cage at the front end of the boat containing a very scared and injured dragon. Pushing forwards, he discovered that it was a baby Monstrous Nightmare who was looking up in fear as the boat began to sink.

“Astrid! Quick, there’s a dragon here!” Hiccup shouted. They didn’t have enough time to open the cage before it disappeared underwater so Stormfly picked the cage up in her large claws and hoisted it upwards. The baby dragon trembled and gave a tiny squeak as Stormfly rose to join the others.

“Woah a baby dragon? Is Viggo stooping that low that he’s hunting baby dragon’s now?” Snotlout questioned, flying up beside Astrid to take a look.

“Looks like it. And I think it’s hurt so we better take it back with us and get it tended to. If it’s bad, then we will have to go to see the Defenders of the Wing’s healer,” Hiccup told them. He made eye contact with Astrid who gave him a worried look in return and gazes up at Zephyr and Nuffink who are still with Fishlegs. They needed to get them back to the Edge and out of harm's way especially if there were dragon hunters around.

The group flew on before the Edge finally came into view. They let Stormfly land first so she could deposit the heavy cage while the rest landed around it. The baby Monstrous Nightmare cowered as they approached it, attempting to hide under its wing in fear. Its body was a dark orange colour with green flecks and black spots as opposed to the stripes that the Monstrous Nightmare species normally had. 

“It’s scared,” Zephyr remarked sadly. Hiccup went to open the cage but found it locked so Astrid got her axe off Stormfly’s saddle and they all moved back so she could break the lock. The door flew open and the baby Monstrous Nightmare immediately attempted to fly away but ended up crying out in pain, flopping on its side helplessly.

“Its wing is broken,” Astrid exclaimed in horror and Hiccup realised that she was right.

“Let’s get it into the clubhouse,” Hiccup suggested. They all bend down to help carry the baby dragon while Zephyr and Nuffink trailed behind nervously. They laid the dragon down carefully while Fishlegs hurried off to get his healer kit.

“Will he be okay, Dad?” Nuffink asked, pulling at Hiccup’s sleeve. Hiccup nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. Zephyr moved forward cautiously and extended her hand towards the dragon’s snout with Astrid behind her. The dragon assessed her for a moment but then pushed its snout into her hand, puffing smoke out of its nostrils.

“It’s okay, little dragon. I know it hurts but we will make it better for you,” she cooed at the dragon, patting its snout gently. The dragon rumbled in reply and placed its head into her lap, stretching its unbroken wing out to the side.

“I think it likes you,” Astrid smiled, kneeling behind them in case she needed to intervene. Zephyr looked surprised for a second, as though she couldn’t believe it but then smiled back.

“When I read Grandpa’s book, I thought that all dragons were monsters and I said I was glad that they were gone… but now I don’t think that,” Zephyr told them quietly. Astrid and Hiccup exchanged a look and she vaguely heard Hiccup mutter about getting rid of all those books.

“Why don’t you pick a name for it?” Hiccup suggested, “It might have to stay with us for a while so we will need to know what to call it.” Zephyr looked thoughtful for a moment and then gazed back at the dragon’s yellow eyes which were watching her with curiosity.

“I think we should call it Drakon,” Zephyr said and Nuffink nodded in agreement.

“That’s a great name for him,” Astrid replied, moving as Fishlegs came back with his gear. Drakon whimpered as Fishlegs gently moved the broken wing to start making a splint for it. Zephyr comforted him and patted his head along with Nuffink who had come over to sit beside them.

“It’s okay Drakon, this will help you get better,” she told him and then began to hum a small tune.

“That sounds kind of familiar,” Astrid commented, eyebrows furrowing.

“You – well mom hums that to us when we wake up with nightmares,” Nuffink told her. 

Astrid’s eyes widened slightly. “Funny that because my own mom used to hum that tune to me.”

Hiccup tugged on Astrid’s arm, beckoning for her to follow him and telling Fishlegs that they’ll be right back. He led her outside the clubhouse, away from watchful eyes and quickly pulled her into an embrace.

“Are you okay?” she asked, voice slightly muffled against his chest. He hummed in reply, tightening his arms around her.

“It was a close call today, obviously Viggo is starting to target dragon nests now and who knows what he has discovered with the Dragon Eye. We have to make sure this doesn’t happen to any other dragons, Astrid. But we also need to protect Zephyr and Nuffink until we figure out how to send them back.”

“I agree with you, but we can’t just leave them somewhere. Until we send them back to future us, they are our responsibility and besides…they’ve been calling us mom and dad and obviously associate us as them…which is confusing but kind of nice,” Astrid replied, looking up to give him a smile.

Hiccup returned the smile and kissed her forehead. “Yeah, I agree with you. It’s strange having them here, Nuffink almost gave me a heart attack when he came over to me in the morning, which reminds me, where will they sleep. With me or you?”

Astrid thought for a moment. “It might have to be yours, as you well know, my hut is pretty much like an armed fortress containing every single bit of weaponry known to Viking.”

“Actually,” Hiccup began - “Maybe we could all stay in my hut, the kids will probably want you close since it’s all unfamiliar to them and like you said they associate us with our older versions– it’s just a suggestion though no pressure.”

There was a short pause as Astrid’s eyes widened, eyebrows shooting up, “Really? But don’t you think the others will…notice.”

“We will just tell them that the kids want us both in there because that’s what they are used to.”

“Hmm, that could work…where would I sleep?”

Hiccup flushed a deep, red at her statement. “Ah well I suppose you can have my bed and I could sleep on the floor with Toothless or something. I was going to build the kids a little bunk bed set which should fit downstairs.” 

Astrid nodded slowly, looking down at the floor. “Sounds good, we should probably get back to them though.”

“Ah, oh yeah right– “Hiccup cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck. “We can sort all that out after lunch.”

He let Astrid go first before he followed her back to the clubhouse. They both find Zephyr and Nuffink giving Drakon some of the fish that Snotlout had brought in. The children giggle in wonder as the baby dragon flipped it into the air before catching it in his mouth. The sight made Astrid and Hiccup exchange a smile, both glad to see that even in one day, the two had become much more relaxed with dragons. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit short but it has been a while since I last updated so I thought I would get this out. Next chapter will be with the future gang on their journey to the Mineral islands. Just a question but is it better to have one chapter dedicated to each setting e.g past/future or is it better having a chapter split into the two POVs?


	6. Blast from the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The present gang get a blast from the past when they encounter one of their old enemies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: This chapter was influenced from the Serpents Heir comic book where Calder was introduced :).

Hiccup squinted through the darkness, trying to make out anything beyond the vast ocean. They had been sailing for almost a week towards Mineral Islands but there was still at least another week before they would reach it. Hiccup sighed, running his hand along the side of the boat, watching the waves lap at the hull. It was the middle of the night and the others were all sleeping, but Hiccup found he couldn’t sleep and had come up on deck for some fresh air. He appreciated the calming sound of the ocean around him and the way the inky night sky was illuminated with stars. It made him miss all those midnight flights with Toothless, and a part of him wished the night fury was here right now. Had they all flown on dragons, the group would have already arrived at Mineral Islands and be one step closer to getting Zephyr and Nuffink back.

Hiccup sighed in frustration, head in hands while his elbows rested on the narrow ledge. He didn’t see that Astrid had come up onto the main deck until she appeared next to him, wrapped in one of the furs that had been on their makeshift bed. He gave her a small smile as she opened the fur blanket to wrap around him, sharing the warmth it provided.

“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked, head coming to rest against his shoulder.

“Yeah, I just needed some air,” he replied, putting his head down to rest on hers.

“I got a bit worried when I saw you had gone – like I had lost you as well,” Astrid murmured quietly. Hiccup mentally kicked himself at his thoughtlessness of not telling her where he was going, of course she would’ve been worried. He turned and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him so her head could rest against his chest.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry. I should have told you, but you were sound asleep.”

Astrid nodded, shivering slightly against the chill of the night air around them. He instinctively pulled her closer, rubbing his hands up and down her bare arms to try and put some warmth into them. She pulled back, giving him a look of gratitude before casting her eyes out to the open ocean.

“It’s still a while away to Mineral Islands,” she stated slowly. “I feel helpless just sitting here, knowing that our kids are out there without us.”

“I know Astrid, but we have no other choice but to sail there and hope we can find what we need,” he said gently.

“I hope so.”

They fell into silence, both gazing out at the darkened sea while standing side by side, wrapped in the fur blanket. He wished he could tell her that it was going to be alright, that they would soon be reunited with their kids. But a small part of him feared that it might not be as simple as just getting the gemstones and repairing the crack in the device. These doubts were the cause of his inability to sleep tonight, though he wanted to keep them to himself, mainly to protect Astrid from becoming more anxious. But of course, she could always tell that something was wrong, which was evident from the questioning gaze she was now giving him.

“What’s wrong?” she prompted, eyebrows furrowing in concern. Hiccup swallowed; he couldn’t bear to see the pain on her face if she knew that there was a chance this plan might not work.

“Nothing I – it’s just I’m really missing them,” he said, avoiding her eyes. It wasn’t a complete lie, Hiccup was missing Zephyr and Nuffink more than anything, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her about the doubts he was having.

Astrid nodded, resting her head back down on his shoulder as they fell back into silence.

“I love you,” she murmured, breaking him out of his thoughts. He smiled at that and kissed the top of her head, amazed at how her blonde hair looked almost silvery under the light of the moon.

“And I love you, m’lady,” he replied against her hair. “It’s getting late, we should probably head back to bed.”

Astrid nodded with a yawn and began heading towards the stairs that led to the sleeping quarters. Hiccup turned to follow her but a shadow in the distance made him stop in his tracks.

“Do you see that?” he asked Astrid, who came back over and searched for what he was referring to. The shadow was coming towards them, getting bigger by each second. It had to be another ship, there wasn’t much else it could be on the open ocean, most likely a merchant ship or one that was on a diplomatic mission. But something didn’t feel right to Hiccup, the ship was heading straight towards them instead of diverting around them. Almost like they were purposely heading this way, and at a fast pace. They watched as the shadow morphed into the outline of the ship, the white of the sails illuminated by the moon. And that’s when Hiccup noticed the symbol on the sail – the face of a forever-wing dragon, the symbol of Calder, the strange Viking who thought he was a dragon trapped in the body of a human and wore armour made out of old dragon scales. Funnily enough, he was part of the inspiration behind their own battle armour.

“Astrid?” he asked, tentatively and she looked back at him with wide eyes upon noticing the symbol as well. “When I said you wouldn’t need your battle axe…you didn’t happen to not listen to me and bring it anyway did you?”

Astrid scoffed, “Of course I still brought it,”

“Good, because I have a feeling that we are going to need it,” Hiccup said, pulling her gently but urgently by the elbow and walking backwards to where the others were still sleeping in the quarters. He ran over to where the knapsack containing the device was and tucked it under the furs to hide it from view.

“Get up! We’ve got company,” Astrid yelled out, making them all startle awake.

“Company?” Fishlegs asked in alarm while Ruffnut sat up and rubbed her eyes.

“Calder to be exact,” said Hiccup, pulling the blankets away from Tuffnut when he attempted to hide under them to go back to sleep.

“What?! That nutjob,” Snotlout exclaimed, pulling on his boots and reaching for his helmet. “I thought we got rid of him years ago!”

“Apparently not,” Astrid replied, lifting her axe over her shoulder and heading back above deck. Hiccup followed, not wanting her to face them alone and to hopefully reason with Calder before he could start anything. Although Hiccup was not fond of the man, he wasn’t about to start a war with him when getting to Mineral islands was far more important. They couldn’t risk any more delays in their trip but judging by the shouting that was coming from the approaching ship, it was going to take longer than Hiccup thought.

Astrid braced herself, axe poised and ready as the ship glided beside them, filled with jeering warriors who were already preparing to jump ship. Snotlout appeared beside them, gritting his teeth as he noticed that the odds were not in their favour. There were at least twenty warriors on Calder’s ship as opposed to their six. And Astrid was the only one with a weapon capable of fighting them, the others hadn’t brought anything more than a simple dagger. The thought of needing larger weapons hadn’t occurred to them because there were no current threats to be wary of – or so they had believed.

“Stand your ground, but don’t attack – we need to talk to Calder first,” Hiccup called out to the others who were looking a bit apprehensive as a ramp was thrown onto the side of the ship with a resounding thud. The warriors parted way for a tall figure and Hiccup instantly recognised it to be Calder. He was dressed in the same trademark dragon costume though he looked much older since their last encounter.

Hiccup swallowed hard as Calder crossed the ramp in a confident strut, a few warriors following close behind; He didn’t like the wicked smile he wore. Astrid held her axe out in front of him, as though using it as a barrier between him and Calder.

“Hiccup! It’s been a while! Fancy seeing you all the way out here. I went to Berk a few years back, but the place was a ghost town,” Calder said, completely ignoring the sharp axe that was a few inches from his face.

“Hello Calder,” Hiccup answered warily, “We are just out for a nice trip, nothing interesting happening here – nothing at all.”

Calder burst out laughing, hand pressed on his chest while he slapped a knee. “Oh do you take me for a fool Hiccup, I know exactly why you are all the way out here.”

Hiccup blinked, feeling clueless and quickly exchanged a look with Astrid who appeared as confused as he was.

“You’re looking for the dragon’s, aren’t you?” he continued, “We’ve been out here looking for them as well, apparently they’ve gone to the Hidden World – you guys know anything about it?”

Fishlegs gasped and then clamped a hand over his mouth when Ruffnut elbowed him in the rib. Calder turned his gaze on him, walking over with an eyebrow raised.

“You know something?” he asked, hopefully and Fishlegs shook his head vigorously while trying to avoid eye contact. Calder watched him for a moment, before turning to Ruffnut who was standing on his right. “What about you sweetheart, you know anything?”

Ruffnut shook her head as well, and Calder almost looked disappointed for a moment. He walked over to where Tuffnut was standing and gave him a questioning look.

Tuffnut snorted, “Yeah sorry Mr. Dragon man, I don’t know about this Hidden World of which you speak about.” He looked down at his fingernails as though to show disinterest and Calder sighed in frustration.

“What about you short stuff?” he asked Snotlout who shrugged and shook his head, scowling at the jab at his height. Calder then moved towards Astrid, but her grip tightened on the handle of the axe and he decided against it. “So, none of you know about this Hidden World?” They all shook their heads again. “Funny that, because a little birdie told me that YOU were the one that sent them there, Hiccup.”

Hiccup flinched as Calder gave him a triumphant look, waggling a finger knowingly. “Ah ha! So, tell me Hiccup, where is this Hidden World?”

Hiccup sighed, “No one knows where the Hidden World is Calder, only the dragons do.”

“So, if that’s the truth, then where are you off to?”

There was an awkward pause as Hiccup struggled to find an explanation that didn’t involve telling Calder about the device or that it could go back in time. As the seconds ticked by, Snotlout and Astrid both shifted nervously beside him, and he finally managed to find his voice.

“Ah, we were just out to see my mom, she’s been gone a long while and it’s almost Snoggletog,” Hiccup stammered out, hoping Calder didn’t see the bead of sweat that was threatening to fall from his brow. Calder nodded, looking back at his warriors and silently communicating something with them before turning back to Hiccup. The warriors disappeared, obviously having been given instructions from Calder.

“Interesting, your mother you say? Well that’s convenient because I have her right here with me, she’s been a passenger on this ship for the last couple of days,”

All six of them gasped as two prisoners were led out by the warriors who had disappeared moments before. Two familiar prisoners.

“Mom! Eret!” Hiccup exclaimed in horror as the two were shoved to their knees in front of them. Both Valka and Eret were gagged and had their hands tightly bound behind their backs, eyes wide as they took in the six shocked faces in front of them. “What’s going on?”

“Well you see, your dear mother and her…accomplice were caught snooping around our business. We were investigating dragon tracks on Mineral Islands and they decided to get a little to close for my liking. I have yet to decide what to do with them,” Calder said, with a grin that made Hiccup’s blood chill. “So, I will ask you again Hiccup, where are you heading?”

“I told you, we were meeting up with my mom and Eret. But since you have already brought them to us – mission accomplished, so we will be on our way back home now.”

Calder tutted, “No can do, Hickey, I’m afraid I don’t believe your little story,” he turned to a few warriors standing by, “Search the entire ship, bring anything of interest to me!”

The warriors moved forward just as Astrid lunged at the closest one with her axe. The warrior jumped back in surprise as the axe narrowly avoided slicing into their shoulder. Astrid twirled on the spot, managing to embed the axe into their calf muscle instead. The warrior screamed in pain and fell back as their fellow warriors came to their aid.

“Ah, is that how it’s going to be then? Take her out first!” Calder ordered. Snotlout swiftly removed the dagger from his belt and directed it towards the approaching warriors, followed by Tuffnut who grabbed a nearby broom and snapped the handle to use as a weapon. Hiccup frantically searched for something to use but fell short when he was tackled by one of Calder’s goons. The man’s fingers closed around his throat, squeezing and making it impossible to breathe even as he frantically scraped at the man’s hand with his own. His chest began to burn with the lack of oxygen, and he began to panic when the light headedness set in. The man gave him a wicked smile that quickly contorted into one of pain and shock as he slumped forward with a grunt, blood pouring from his mouth onto Hiccup’s face. Hiccup gasped and tried to wriggle free, but the man was much too heavy. Fishlegs hurried over and pried the man off him, helping him to stand. They both looked down at the man to see that a dagger was embedded in the back of his head. Hiccup recognised this to be Astrid’s dagger and whirled around to try and locate her, eyes sweeping over the mayhem around them. He saw her fighting two goons with Snotlout, face determined and wild as she blocked their swings with her own.

“STOP!” Calder yelled out, and everyone froze, turning to face him. He was kneeling beside Valka, his hand pulling her head back to expose her throat to the sword he held against it. “Order them to stand down Hiccup, or your poor mother dies.”

Hiccup gritted his teeth before turning to the group, he didn’t even need to say it, they knew there was no other option. Astrid lowered her axe, placing it on the floor where a thug quickly picked it up and took it away, along with Snotlout’s dagger. They were all pushed to their knees, hand’s bound tightly before being dragged away to Calder’s ship. Eret and Valka were brought as well, though they were still gagged and could not talk to them.

Hiccup grunted as he was shoved inside a cell, almost losing his balance as the others were pushed in behind him. The cell door was slammed shut, followed by the main door. Now they were enveloped in darkness except for the few streams of moonlight coming through the cracks in the ship, enabling them to see one another.

Hiccup scanned the faces of the seven people before him, each wearing a forlorn expression as they searched for a way to escape. It was useless though, there was no way they would be able to get out by themselves. Hiccup sighed, walking over to where Astrid was inspecting the bars of the cell door.

“Are you okay?” He asked, watching as her shoulders slumped when she didn’t find what she had been looking for. He wanted to hug her, cup her cheek or something but with his hands being tied, it would be difficult to do so. Instead, Hiccup leant forward and rested his forehead on her shoulder, nuzzling her collarbone gently. She reciprocated by leaning her head against his with a sigh, moving it slowly so that her cheek rubbed against his own.

“Yeah, but I don’t know how we are going to get out of this Hiccup, it’s not like we have the dragons to help us this time,” Astrid said quietly. Hiccup knew she was right, but they had to find a way to get out of this. If they didn’t, it meant that Zephyr and Nuffink would never make it back to the present and would be trapped back in the past with their younger selves. Though now, it was probably the safest place for them. Between Calder and Viggo, it was a hard choice as to who was a bigger threat. Calder was a madman, who was under the impression that he was a dragon trapped in a human body. He would go to any lengths to get what he wanted, and Hiccup supposed that made him just like Viggo. If Calder found the time travelling device, he could use it to go back to the past, to where the dragons were and even try to go to the Hidden World with them. There was no way they could let him get his hands on it.

“So, what now?” Snotlout asked, breaking Hiccup out of his thoughts. The others gathered around them, also curious as to what the plan would be. He wished he could give them the answers, but he couldn’t. Someone had managed to free both Valka and Eret of their gags and they both stood alongside the others, wearing worried expressions.

“I’m so sorry, son,” Valka said, coming forward. “We stopped past the Mineral Islands when we spotted Calder’s ship and we only wanted to see what his plans were. Unfortunately, we were caught.” 

“Thank you for coming to rescue us though, we began to lose hope that anyone would find us,” Eret added.

“We were actually heading to the Mineral Islands anyway, but I am glad we found you two, though probably not in the best circumstances,” Hiccup answered.

“Why were you all heading there?” Eret questioned.

“Zephyr and Nuffink managed to get Hiccup’s old-time travel device to work and they sent themselves back twelve years in the past. Now we need more gemstones for it so that we can go back and get them,” Astrid told them. Valka and Eret’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as they looked from her to Hiccup.

“The children are back in the past? But how did this even happen, you tried to make it work all those years ago when your father died, and it didn’t?” Valka asked, looking shocked.

“Gobber took it from our attic and tinkered with it a bit and whatever he did, obviously made it work,” Hiccup answered. Valka blinked, head tilting as she surveyed her only son. She looked like she wanted to say something further but then changed her mind.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching and all eight of them quickly fell back into a line. The door was flung open and Calder entered, followed by a few of his goons.

“How are we liking our new accommodation?” he asked with amusement. It was met with silence and glares from them all. He chuckled while approaching the bars of the cell, leaning against them as he held his hand up to reveal the Dragon Key in his hand. “Interesting little contraption I found in your sleeping quarters Hiccup, care to share what it is before it ends up at the bottom of the ocean?”

Astrid gasped, itching forward but Hiccup murmured for her to stay back. They needed to think about this carefully.

“Oh, you know, just one of the kid’s toys…it was for Snoggletog – we picked it up at a market on the way out here” Hiccup said as casually as he could. Calder looked at the Dragon Key thoughtfully, turning it over in his hands to survey every detail of it closely.

“Interesting – I might hold on to it for now,” Calder said, handing it off to one of his followers beside him. “I have a feeling your child might be missing out on their Snoggletog present this year, unless you are willing to share where the Hidden World is?”

“I’ve already told you; we don’t know where the Hidden World is, only a dragon can find it,” Hiccup replied angrily.

“Hmm so you keep saying, yet I still don’t believe you,” Calder laughed, and he threw something small into the cell at their feet before exiting the room.

Hiccup glanced down at the object which Astrid was bending down to retrieve awkwardly with her bound hands. As she stood up, Hiccup noticed that it was Nuffink’s deadly nadder toy that Valka had made him on the day of his birth. Nuffink had always slept with it and ever since he had disappeared into the past; Astrid had kept it as close as possible. The message that Calder was giving them was clear – give him what he wants, or they wouldn’t get to see Zephyr or Nuffink again. They would be his prisoners indefinitely until Hiccup told him how to get to the Hidden World.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait in updating guys. I hope you enjoyed this chapter :). I feel like the time travel device needs a better name so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments and it may just get picked.


	7. Friend or Foe?

(Back in the past) 

Hiccup yawned as he and Toothless descended onto the landing platform in front of the club house, having just come back from night patrol. It was late and all the riders were asleep by now. Hiccup dismounted Toothless, putting a finger to his lips to tell him they must be quiet. They both quietly entered the hut which was luckily illuminated by one small candle that was burning on the desk nearby.

Hiccup headed over to where the makeshift bunk beds were situated. Zephyr was on the top bunk, fast asleep with Drakon curled up at her feet. The baby dragon lifted its sleepy head to survey him carefully. Hiccup reached out and stroked his head to reassure him until he relaxed and tucked his head back under a wing. 

Hiccup bent down to the lower bunk, seeing Nuffink wrapped in Astrid’s embrace, his head tucked under her chin. Both were sound asleep. He wondered if perhaps Nuffink had gotten scared and asked for Astrid to comfort him. Or maybe he had woken with a nightmare and she had hugged him back to sleep before falling asleep herself. 

It was their fourth night of having the children there, and often Nuffink had wanted to be close to them, for reassurance. Zephyr was a bit more independent, spending most of her time with Drakon. They had formed quite a close bond and Drakon responded to her better than any of the other riders so Hiccup had been teaching her how to train him with simple commands. It appeared to be going well, and he had to admit that he was rather proud to see her caring for a dragon when she had been so apprehensive about them on their first meeting. 

Zephyr and Nuffink hadn’t elaborated on why there were no dragons in the future, and Hiccup didn’t want to question them about it too much. They were only young after all and he didn’t want to put any pressure on them, especially when they were obviously missing their parents - the future Hiccup and Astrid. 

Hiccup reached out, brushing the bangs gently out of Astrid’s face. She opened one bleary eye, seeing that it was him and smiled. Hiccup pulled his hand back as she sat up, careful not to wake Nuffink. He helped her off the bed and watched as she pulled the covers back over him.

“Nightmare,” she whispered as they moved away from the bunk bed. Hiccup nodded and looked back at the sleeping children. He was no stranger to nightmares himself so he could see why Nuffink had sought comfort to be able to go back to sleep. “Did you see anything on your patrols?” 

“No, nothing out of the ordinary,” Hiccup replied, looking over at the stack of furs that he had laid out on the floor as a temporary bed. His back was still aching from the previous night's sleep and he was dreading sleeping on it again. Astrid seemed to sense his discomfort as she gave him a sympathetic look. 

“I was thinking about this sleeping arrangement… and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to just share your bed...with me,” Astrid suggested, causing Hiccup’s eyes to widen immediately. 

“Not in that way! Just so you will be more comfortable,” she quickly added, a blush rising on her cheeks. 

“Oh ah, yeah sure, if that’s okay,” Hiccup stammered, following her up the stairs to the loft where his bed was. Astrid was already dressed for bed; in her top and leggings, free from her skirt, knee pads, arm bracings, kransen and shoulder armour. She climbed into bed, edging over so that he had room to fit in beside her. He gulped, pulling off his leathers, and belts. Normally, Hiccup would sleep in his undergarments but he then realised it would leave him a bit more exposed compared to what Astrid was wearing. They hadn’t seen each other naked before, and it was something they hadn’t even discussed yet. Intimacy was still new to them. 

He decided on a plain tunic instead and climbed in beside Astrid, putting a careful distance between them. She sighed, sitting up and pulling the leather tie out of hair, unweaving the braid with skilled fingers. Hiccup watched in awe as he saw her hair unbound for the first time, the long blonde strands wavy from being in the tight braid. Astrid, ran her fingers through it to comb it and then turned to give him a smile as she settled back down on the pillow. Hiccup’s heartbeat quickened as he took in the sight of her, she was so beautiful. He realised that his mouth was hanging open slightly when a bit of drool almost escaped out the corner of his lips. Quickly wiping it away and hoping that she hadn’t noticed, Hiccup then returned the smile. 

“I think I would get a headache if I slept with my braid in,” Astrid whispered to him. 

“I can see how that could happen, it’s normally pretty tight,” Hiccup replied, his voice low so he didn’t wake Zephyr or Nuffink. They lay there in silence for a moment, staring into each other's eyes and Hiccup was scrabbling for anything to say or do. Before he could decide, Astrid moved forward and placed a feather light kiss on his lips. Hiccup returned it eagerly but then she was pulling away, bidding him good night and turning over so that her back faced him. 

Hiccup shifted slightly, unsure of what to do especially as a certain body part was now peaking with interest. He couldn’t exactly do anything about it, not with her lying right next to him. So he lay there awkwardly, hips angled as far away from her as he could manage in the small space. But that plan quickly failed when she wriggled back against him, reaching behind to grab his arm to wrap it around her torso. Her arm came to rest over his own and she pressed her back against his chest. 

Hiccup groaned inwardly, trying to decide which was more uncomfortable, sleeping on the floor or trying to keep his obvious erection hidden. Perhaps it hadn’t been such a good idea to share the bed. But then Astrid gave a sigh of content and the doubts he had disappeared. He tightened his arm around her, kissing the back of her shoulder before closing his eyes and attempted to fall asleep.

***

Next morning, Hiccup woke up to find Astrid still curled up against him, fast asleep. She had turned around in her sleep and was now facing him, blonde hair covering most of her face. He listened out to see whether Zephyr and Nuffink were awake but judging by the soft snores coming from below, they weren’t. Toothless was also still asleep, curled around on his usual spot on the floor. Hiccup didn’t want to wake any of them so he quietly slid out of bed and dressed before silently creeping out of the hut.

Outside, the sun had barely risen and the morning air was still fresh and crisp. Normally Hiccup and Toothless would take a morning flight before breakfast but obviously the dragon had decided to skip that today. Hiccup wandered down the bridges and into the clubhouse where he found Fishlegs and Meatlug sitting around the table. 

“Morning Hiccup,” Fishlegs said, cheerfully. 

“Morning, how long have you been up?” Hiccup asked, coming to sit next to him.

“A while, I got woken up by the Terrible Terror who delivered this.” 

Hiccup frowned as Fishlegs passed the scroll over to him, turning it around to see Johann's messy scrawl. 

“Johann? Wonder what he wants now,” Hiccup murmured as he began to read. 

_ Master Hiccup and the riders _

_ I am writing to ask for your urgent assistance, please meet me at Sunstone Island immediately. _

_ Trader Johann.  _

“He said he wants our help,” Hiccup sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Guess I will go and see what he needs, can you tell Astrid that I will be back soon?”

“Or you could tell her yourself,” Astrid said, causing Hiccup and Fishlegs to startle as she entered the clubhouse with Zephyr and Nuffink following close behind her. 

“Astrid, you’re awake. Trader Johann has asked us for our assistance so I was going to fly to Sunstone Island and see what he needs.”

“Why don’t I come with you? You said yourself that it’s better if we travel in pairs in case we get ambushed.”

Hiccup sighed, he had said that and he also knew there would be no talking Astrid out of coming. 

“Okay, you can come, but it’s not safe for the kids - they’re going to have to stay here.”

Zephyr and Nuffink cried out in protest but Hiccup raised both his palms to shush them.

“I know, I know. But we need to keep you both safe, and the safest place right now is here.”

Astrid nodded in agreement

“But who will look after them?” She asked. 

They both turned to Fishlegs who went wide eyed when he realised what they were suggesting.

“Um, I mean I can watch them for you guys, if you want?” 

“Perfect, we shouldn’t be too long,” Hiccup said cheerfully and Zephyr pouted in response, “Why don’t you take Drakon out and do some more training after breakfast, maybe Nuffink can help you as well.”

Zephyr perked up at the suggestion and sat up to eat breakfast alongside Nuffink and Fishlegs. Astrid grabbed a few bits of bread smeared in yak butter for the trip and they both said goodbye to the kids before exiting the clubhouse to find Toothless and Stormfly. 

“Looks like you will be getting that morning flight after all,” Hiccup said to Toothless who was eating his bowl of fish next to Stormfly and Hookfang. The dragon warbled in response, turning back to scoff the last fish before coming over. Hiccup mounted him and waited for Astrid to do the same before they both took to the air. 

The chill from the morning air stung Hiccup’s face but he ignored it, well used to flying in all weather conditions. It didn’t seem to bother Astrid either, who flew next to him, a content look on her face as she surveyed the sea below them. 

“Keep a lookout for dragon hunter ships,” Hiccup called out to her. If Viggo was hunting dragon nests then it was likely there would be more dragon hunter ships around. Astrid nodded in acknowledgement and they both directed the dragon’s towards Sunstone Island. 

“What do you think he wants?” Astrid asked after a while. 

“Not sure, but knowing Johann, it’s probably something completely crazy or life threatening. He seems to like sending us all on wild goose chases,” Hiccup replied. 

“True, although he might have some leads as to what Viggo is up too.”

Hiccup had considered this as well, because if anyone knew anything about what was happening around the Archipelago, it would be Johann. 

“Guess we will find out pretty soon,” he answered, scanning the sea in the distance. They fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, both keeping a lookout for any ships nearby. Fortunately, there was nothing to be found except for the odd Scauldron breaching the waves every now and again. 

“Did you sleep any better last night?” Astrid questioned, her tone rather timid for what it normally was. 

Hiccup averted his eyes, hoping to hide the evidence of flushed cheeks and back of his neck as he recalled the previous night of fighting off a rather persistent erection. 

“Yeah...it was good, a lot more comfy than the pile of blankets on the floor,” Hiccup said, clearing his throat awkwardly. 

“Good...I’m glad.” 

The silence that followed was rather awkward, with both of them avoiding eye contact and making small talk until they finally saw Sunstone Island. Hiccup led the way and landed Toothless just beyond the shoreline. Stormfly and Astrid landed a few feet away and she quickly dismounted to observe the surroundings. 

“It has been a while since we’ve been here,” Hiccup said, walking into the forestry area. Astrid hummed and followed close behind, she had taken her axe from the holder on the back of Stormfly’s saddle to begin chopping any offending vines or branches that were in the way. Hiccup let her clear a path, helping move the branches so they could wander further and further into the heart of the forest. 

“Did Johann say where exactly to meet him on the Island?” Astrid asked, cursing when a branch flung back and hit her on the thigh. Hiccup shook his head, wiping the beads of sweat off his forehead. “Of course he didn’t, good old Johann making thing’s just that little bit harder.”

They continued walking until they came across a small clearing where a campsite had been set up. A smouldering fire indicated that someone had been here not so long ago, or still was in the vicinity. Leaving Toothless and Stormfly to stand guard, they both approached the tent, Astrid’s axe raised and ready for any surprises while Hiccup had a grip on the hilt of Inferno. Hiccup entered wearily, and looked around, there was not much to see apart from a few crates of merchandise and a mountain of furs in the corner. Astrid kicked over a crate and inspected the contents of it with her boot. 

“Looks like someone’s been here, probably Johann or dragon hunters,” she said, wrinkling her nose at the discovery of rotten food. 

“You’re right, but where are they? If the fire is still burning, they can’t be too far away.”

A rustling noise made them both pause, and turn to the rear corner of the tent where the mountain furs were piled. Hiccup raised a finger to his lips and beckoned Astrid closer. Together they approached the bundles of furs, weapons raised before pulling them off to reveal a gagged and bound Johann. 

“Johann?!” Hiccup said incredulously, pulling the gag from the older man's mouth. 

“Oh Master Hiccup, I am so relieved you came! I thought my message had gotten lost and I would be stuck here forever.”

“What happened to you?” Astrid asked, taking her dagger from her boot to cut the bindings around his hands and feet. 

“Oh thank you Miss Astrid. It was the dragon hunters, they ambushed me and stole my boat, leaving me on this forsaken island with only my merchandise. I was summoned by them to make a trade and then they did this, oh I feel like such a fool.”

Astrid and Hiccup exchanged a look, eyebrows raised. That explained why they hadn’t seen Johann’s boat on the shores of the island. 

“What would they want with your boat?” Hiccup asked, putting inferno back on his belt. 

“They said it was to transport a haul of dragons they had captured, apparently it was crucial they get them to their leader before sundown. Their boat had been destroyed apparently.”

“Viggo,” Hiccup said, gritting his teeth, “Johann, did you see what kind of dragons they had captured?” 

“No, I didn’t. Is that important?” 

“It is, what else do you remember?” Astrid questioned. 

“The leader of the dragon hunters, he was very tall with a rather big build, funny mustache and bald hair.”

“Ryker,” Astrid and Hiccup said at the same time. 

Hiccup thought carefully for a moment, if Viggo and the hunters were stealing ships then it would make it harder to identify them as dragon hunter ships. This would make it easier for the hunters to take the dragon’s to their base without Hiccup or the riders being able to free them. 

“Let’s get out of here, we will have to tell the others and formulate a plan,” Hiccup told Astrid, “You can ride with me Johann, take what you need and let's go.”

They helped him gather a few items and added it to Toothless’ saddles. Hiccup helped Johann settle in behind him before taking off after Astrid and Stormfly. He noticed that Astrid was conveniently flying a few metres ahead, just enough so it would be hard to hear what the other was saying. He wondered why this was until Johann began blabbing about some trade he had with a few stubborn vikings on Berk, and then he knew why she had chosen to fly ahead. Johann could talk the ears off a yak and Hiccup was beginning to regret letting them man ride with him. 

***

They landed back at the Edge when the sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was almost lunch time. Hiccup was relieved to land Toothless and escape from Johann who was now talking about the time he got drunk with three lady vikings from Berserker Island. 

He turned to say something to Astrid when excited squeals sounded behind him. He stumbled back as Zephyr and Nuffink knocked into him, both talking over one another in their excitement of having them back. 

“Mom!” Nuffink yelled and leapt into her awaiting arms while Zephyr let go of Hiccup and ran to her side as well. 

“Mom? I’m sorry...am I missing something? How long was I trapped on that Island for exactly?” Johann said in disbelief. 

“I would like to know as well,” came a voice from above them and they all looked up to see Heather, Windshear, Dagur and Shattermaster. 

“It’s a long story,” Astrid said, hoisting Nuffink to her hip and looking up at Heather with a sheepish look. 

“And it’s definitely a story I want to hear, because I haven’t even been gone that long.” Heather replied, landing next to them. 

Hiccup sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Come to the clubhouse, we can talk there.” 


	8. It's a trap!

“So much for just friends,” Heather whispered into Astrid’s ear, smirking when the blonde flushed bright red in response. Hiccup had just finished telling her, Dagur and Johann about how the kids had time travelled to the past and the brunette had been sending Astrid knowing looks the whole time. Astrid and Hiccup were still keeping their relationship under wraps, but the riders were starting to suspect something - especially now that they were sharing Hiccup’s hut together. Luckily they weren’t aware of the bed sharing that had been going on, otherwise the teasing would be relentless and someone would certainly feel Astrid’s wrath. Clearly Heather didn’t even need those specific details to know something was different between Astrid and Hiccup. 

“We get married in the  _ future _ ,” Astrid muttered back, not meeting her eyes. “For now, we are just friends. And I’m not sure how we came to be married either.” 

“Hmm sure, come on Astrid, you can tell me” Heather said earnestly, the playful glint in her eyes disappearing. Astrid just shook her head, indicating that now wasn’t the time to discuss it. Heather took the hint and dropped it much to Astrid’s relief. The two warriors stood side by side, listening to Dagur and Hiccup talk about the events that had taken place on Berserker Island. 

“So you think Viggo might be behind it?” Dagur asked, as he looked down at the map in front of them. 

“It makes sense, he and the dragon hunters have been attacking the nests and stealing the dragons while they are vulnerable. We found Drakon caged on one of the ships we took down last week but no mother,” Hiccup answered, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he scanned the map. 

“But that’s the weird thing, on Berserker Island, the baby dragons were left behind and only the parents were taken,” Heather piped up. “So it still doesn’t explain why they captured Drakon?” 

Hiccup frowned in thought, it definitely didn’t make sense that Drakon was taken, yet the other baby dragons had been left.  _ Was there something special about the baby monstrous nightmare that had made the hunters take him but leave the others,  _ He thought to himself. The others all exchanged confused looks, each trying to figure out an answer. 

“Perhaps the hunters just took Drakon out of convenience?” Johann offered, looking over at the baby dragon who was curled up next to Zephyr and Nuffink in the corner of the clubhouse. 

“Hmm no, they've never taken a baby dragon before. Normally it’s only the adult ones that are captured,” replied Fishlegs and Hiccup nodded in confirmation. 

“And there were no other dragons on the ship either. It was just Drakon trapped in the cage,” Astrid stated as she walked over to stand next to Hiccup, looking down at the map. 

“That’s what doesn’t make sense either, normally the dragon hunters have a haul of dragons that they take back to their bases. Why bother with just one?” Hiccup said, tracing around Berserker Island with his finger. “I’m thinking that maybe we should go and check it out - see if there is any evidence at the nest site.” The riders all nodded in agreement. 

“May I offer my services Master Hiccup,” Johann said, coming forward as the riders began to exit the clubhouse to prepare their dragons. “I could watch the children for you so that you can all go and get to the bottom of this tragic problem.”

Hiccup blinked, not overly sure of what to say. He turned to look back at Astrid who was also looking apprehensive. 

“I don’t know Johann...they don’t really know you,” she said, chewing her lip in thought. Zephyr and Nuffink were looking nervously at the younger version of their parents, obviously not pleased about being left with someone they barely knew.

“Maybe we could get Fishlegs to stay behind?” Astrid murmured to Hiccup but he shook his head.

“We need Fishlegs, he will be useful with figuring stuff out at the nest site.”

“How about Snotlout?’ 

Hiccup shook his head again, “We would need him if we get ambushed by dragon hunters.”

Astrid sighed, “The twins?” Though they weren’t overly responsible, she felt more comfortable leaving the kids with someone they knew as opposed to a stranger, which was exactly what Johann was to them. The kids said they didn’t remember the merchant which indicated to Hiccup and Astrid that he was not around in the future or where they were located. 

Hiccup considered this for a moment, but then shook his head again, “We would need the twins as well.” 

Astrid folded her hands, a frustrated look on her face when she realised that they had no other choice. It was not like they could take the children, it would definitely be too dangerous for them. It looked as though they would have no other option but to leave them here with Johann. Zephyr took one look at Astrid’s face and pouted when she realised that they would be left behind with him after all. 

“I’m sorry guys, but we need to get to the bottom of this and we can’t take you with us - it’s just too dangerous out there,” Hiccup told them. Nuffink stood up and looked at Astrid with tear filled eyes, obviously not pleased with the decision. 

Astrid’s shoulders sank when she took in the little boy’s expression, “Why don’t we take them with us and have Johann sit with them in the village? They should be safe there, the dragon hunters surely aren’t that stupid that they would attack the village. Their goal is hunting the dragons.” 

Hiccup pondered this for a moment, and then smiled, “I think that might be a good idea, what do you kids think about that?” 

Both Zephyr and Nuffink did a happy dance and wrapped their arms around Hiccup’s middle before doing the same to Astrid’s - avoiding pressing their faces against the spikes on her skirt. Drakon rumbled behind them, also pleased to be tagging along. 

“Well that sorts that out then, I’d be happy to accompany you all to Berserker Island and perhaps after I could try and find myself a new ship. After all, a merchant can’t really travel to islands without one,” Johann said, chuckling nervously. Astrid and Hiccup exchanged a look, silently communicating on what to do with him. Or more or less trying to figure out which rider deserved the punishment of having Johann ride with them. 

They decided on Snotlout and sent Johann out to find him as they held back their laughter of how he would react. Once he had left the hut, they both instructed the children to go and wait at the barn with Toothless and Stormfly as they prepared for the trip.

“We won’t be long,” Astrid told them and Zephyr rolled her eyes, pulling Nuffink by the sleeve to follow her while beckoning for Drakon to come as well. The baby dragon flapped its wings and flew out behind them, leaving Astrid and Hiccup finally alone. Hiccup had barely managed to turn to face her when she flung into him, lips immediately searching for his. He kissed her back, hand cupping her cheek as his tongue sought entrance into her mouth. She let him, moaning slightly when it caressed her own. They didn’t have long before someone would come looking for them, but the brief moment of passion was worth it. Hiccup loved these rare moments, where Astrid would melt in his embrace and they would kiss until eventually they had to separate for air. 

Sharing a bed for the last two nights had been somewhat torture for him, though Astrid had been unaware of the affect she had on him. He loved sleeping so close to her, but when she pressed up against him, he would have to quickly arch his hips away to avoid a rather awkward situation. But waking up beside her the next morning made it all worth it, from the smiles that she would give after first opening her eyes to the wakeup kisses. Hiccup didn’t really know how to talk about all  _ that _ with Astrid and each time he had tried, the words had choked in his throat. 

“We better get going,” Astrid murmured against his lips and began to pull away. Hiccup nodded in agreement although part of him wished they could just stay there all day. He followed Astrid out of the clubhouse to the barn where everyone else was waiting and Toothless greeted him with a warble, clearly excited to be going for a flight. He noticed Heather smirking at Astrid as she lifted Zephyr into Stormfly’s saddle and then climbed on herself. He wondered whether perhaps she knew something, but Astrid and he had agreed to keep it a secret for now. It had been her idea after all. Before he could ponder on it too much, he lifted Nuffink onto Toothless and jumped on behind him, telling the others to go. 

They all took to the sky, and formed their usual flying positions with Hiccup and Toothless leading at the front. Drakon flew between Stormfly and Toothless, flapping his wings frantically to keep up with the bigger dragons. He was still too small for Zephyr to ride, especially on long flights such as this one but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t tag along. 

Hiccup almost expected to see dragon hunter ships on their flight, but again, there was nothing but the vast, empty ocean. He found it rather strange, especially if they had raided the nests on Berserker Island and captured some of the dragons like Dagur and Heather had said. If that was true, then there would have had to be a ship somewhere in the vicinity still - unless Viggo had magic disappearing ships now. Both Dagur and Heather had flown around the island after they had spotted the damage and said there was no sign of the hunters anywhere. This information had made Hiccup even more weary. Obviously Viggo was planning something and he didn’t like it one bit. 

“Keep your eyes peeled,” Hiccup called out to the rest of them. “They can’t just disappear into thin air, especially with fully grown dragons.” 

The riders all murmured in agreement, each checking in different directions with apprehension. But still, there was nothing and they all landed at Berserker Island without any interruptions. The villagers were bustling around as per usual, obviously not perturbed by the news that dragon hunters had been in their territory. 

Dagur and Heather led Snotlout, Fishlegs and the twins over to their hut while Hiccup and Astrid turned to Zephyr and Nuffink who were looking at them with dejected expressions. 

Hiccup shook his head, looking slightly guilty, “Hey now, don’t be like that, guys. We won’t be long, we promise. You’ll be fine with Johann.” Johann stepped forward, smiling at the two children who looked back at him wearily. 

“Agreed, you two will be  _ fine _ . And you have Drakon here to protect you,” Astrid added and gave them a reassuring smile. Drakon gave a low growl and nudged Zephyr’s hand with his large head, causing her to look back at him with mock irritation. Astrid gave them a quick hug goodbye before leading Stormfly off to where the others were waiting. Hiccup went to do the same, but then bent down to whisper in Zephyr’s ear. 

“If anything happens and you need us, get Drakon to do the signal for help, just like we practiced.” 

Zephyr nodded, with a look of determination on her features that were so similar to that of her mothers. Hiccup ruffled Nuffink’s hair and went over to the group with Toothless. The others were all ready to go, so he mounted Toothless and they took to the air, looking down at the two waving children and a rather awkward Johann. 

Astrid maneuvered Stormfly close to Hiccup, looking at him rather anxiously. “Do you think we made the right choice leaving them with Johann?” 

Hiccup sighed, “I don’t know, I want to think that we did - but it’s not like there was any other option.” 

Astrid hummed, and stared ahead into the distance. Hiccup could tell that she was struggling with the duties of being a dragon rider and warrior and being a ‘parent’ to Zephyr and Nuffink. He was feeling exactly the same way, and he made a mental note to discuss it with her later. 

“There it is!” Dagur shouted and pointed to a gap in the trees. The dragon riders landed in the clearing, each dismounting and taking their weapons out of the holders on their saddles. It was quiet, almost too quiet for Hiccup’s liking. The remains of the dragon's nests were littered all over the clearing, and Ruffnut picked up an empty shell of an egg, cringing when she realised what that implied. 

“This is worse than what I thought,” Hiccup uttered in a horrified voice and Astrid put a hand on his shoulder, resting her chin on top. 

“It’s awful.” 

“Where are the baby dragon’s?” Snotlout asked, searching through the debris. 

“We already took them to the Mala’s healer, we didn’t have the resources to care for them here,” Heather replied. 

“Let’s split up and look for any clues as to where these hunters could have gone,” Hiccup told them, motioning for Astrid to come with him. Heather, Dagur and Snotlout went in one direction and Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs went in the other, leaving Astrid and Hiccup to search the surrounding areas. They chose to walk so it would be easier to see any evidence, leaving the dragons to trail behind them. If there was any scent remaining from the dragon hunters, Stormfly would be able to track them or so Hiccup hoped. So far the Deadly Nadder hadn’t picked up on anything, and even Toothless hadn’t found anything. 

“It feels like we are just walking in circles,” Astrid said, as they came to the same tree they had passed earlier.

“You’re right, this feels pointless,” Hiccup sighed, and leant on the tree, folding his arms. Astrid came to lean on his other side, tilting her head back to rest on the rough bark. They stood there in silence, debating what to do next when suddenly an explosion sounded in the distance. Both of them startled and jumped on Toothless and Stormfly. 

“What was that?!” Astrid shouted over the booming sounds that were coming from all directions. 

“I don’t know!” Hiccup yelled back, “It sounds like it’s coming from the village, come on!” 

The dragon’s sped them towards the direction of the village and in the distance, they saw Dagur, Heather and Snotlout flying towards them. As they got closer, they saw what the cause of the noises were. The village was being attacked by glowing cannon balls which were being fired in every direction. Hiccup managed to dodge one as it flew past, weaving underneath it and hovering over the village where the vikings were running around in fear.

“Astrid! We have to go and find Zephyr and Nuffink,” Hiccup turned to say, but when he did so, he noticed that she had disappeared. He searched the skies and then looked down to see her on the ground, dismounting Stormfly and running through the destroyed huts, her axe held firmly in her grasp. Hiccup landed Toothless and tore after her while the other riders went to search for the source of the bombs. 

“Astrid wait!” Hiccup called after her, stumbling over the rumble from the huts. He lost sight of her when a group of vikings blocked his view and he stood there in the middle of the chaos, panting. The explosions stopped and Hiccup glanced out at the ocean, there was no ship or any type of weapon out there big enough to cause this amount of damage. Something was not right. 

“Hiccup, over here!” He heard Astrid yell out and he turned to see her standing a few feet away with a terrified Zephyr and Nuffink clutched to her leg. He ran over, quickly giving them a once over before checking Astrid. 

“I’m fine, but what was that?” She questioned with wide eyes. Hiccup just shook his head, still speechless. 

“Wait, where is Johann? And Drakon?” Hiccup asked. Zephyr spun around, obviously only just noticing that they were both gone. 

“Drakon!” She called out, frantically. Nuffink also joined in the calling. Astrid and Hiccup exchanged a worried look, it almost seemed strange that Drakon was missing, especially when he and Zephyr were almost inseparable. “Where could he have gone? He was right behind us before and Johann told us to hide behind there so we didn’t get hurt.”

Astrid frowned. “So Johann just left you there?!” She said angrily and both children nodded. “When I get my hands on that a- .”

“Woah,” Hiccup interrupted, holding his palms up to stop her. “He can’t have gone too far, let’s go and find the others and start looking.” He lifted Nuffink up into his arms and carried him through the destroyed village while Astrid and Zephyr trailed behind, calling out for Drakon. Snotlout came hurrying over when he saw them approaching, Hookfang pacing angrily in the background. 

“Hiccup, Astrid, we tried to find whatever that thing was but there was nothing out there except empty ocean.”

“It almost looked like a battleship, but attached to a dragon,” Dagur added. “I couldn’t get a close enough look to see but it’s definitely nothing like I’ve ever seen before.” 

Heather came forward as well, looking rather angry and frustrated. “Whatever  _ that _ was, completely destroyed the whole village and half the island. It will take us forever to rebuild.”

Hiccup sighed, putting Nuffink down beside him and scratching his head. Before he could think of something to say, Johann came stumbling over to them. 

“Oh Master Hiccup, thank god you found the children! I was so worried when I couldn’t find them behind that hut.” Astrid gritted her teeth, clenching her fists and began to walk towards the merchant before Hiccup quickly grabbed her around the waist to stop her. 

“You left them!” She hissed angrily, causing him to take a few steps back. “They are children and you left them while there was an attack going on. We trusted you and you just abandoned them.” Hiccup could feel her rage as she trembled in his arms and completely understood why she was angry but it wasn’t going to help anyone, they needed to form a plan first. 

Johann flinched at her furious glare “I am so sorry Miss Astrid, please forgive me. I thought they would be safe behind there, truly I did.”

“Drakon is missing, did you see him? He will be scared without me” Zephyr questioned tearfully, making all of them turn to face her. The little girl's eyes were filled with tears but she stubbornly kept them in, obviously not wanting to appear weak. It almost reminded Hiccup of Astrid, who would also try and keep her emotions hidden. 

“I’m sorry child, but I didn’t see the dragon. I was more preoccupied in getting out of the way of the firing line,” Johann said, clasping his hands together in his usual nervous fashion. Zephyr slumped her shoulders and glanced up at Hiccup. He took a deep breath and knelt down to her level, putting his hands on his shoulders. 

“Don’t worry, we are going to find him. I promise you that.”

Zephyr gave him a small smile, wrapping her arms around his neck and sniffling. Hiccup hugged her tight, and looked up to see Astrid giving them a soft look before turning to the rest of the riders that had joined them. “We need to find out what caused this. It’s no doubt Viggo, but that was no ordinary cannon ball.”

Dagur stroked his bearded chin, “I’ve told all the Berserkers to head up to the stables, it will be safer for them all there. Maybe we should head up there as well, in case they come back.” 

“As much as I would love to come with you all, I have sought safe passage off the island and I will be leaving now - I think it would be the safest option for me,” Johann informed them, causing the riders to all exchange looks.

“You want to go out there?” Tuffnutt scoffed. “Are you - I don’t know, insane or something?”

Ruffnut sniggered and Snotlout murmured something along the lines of “Seriously, you are only just noticing that now.”

“That’s fine, do what you need to do Johann,” Hiccup said, standing to lift Zephyr onto Toothless, “We need to go and discuss what our next move will be.” The rider’s all climbed on their dragon’s and flew up to the mountain where the dragon stables were, leaving Johann to go and find his way off the island. The Berserkers were all huddled together on the clifftop, awaiting their chiefs commands. Dagur and Heather went to go and be with their people, taking Fishlegs, the twins and Snotlout with them to check for any injuries needing attention. That left Hiccup and Astrid standing alone with the two children who were looking more than overwhelmed. 

“Kids, why don’t you go and play fetch with Stormfly and Toothless, we are just going to plan our next move,” Astrid told them, gently. They both nodded and went over to a small clearing where a few small branches lay, finding one big enough for Stormfly and Toothless. Hiccup and Astrid stood side by side and watched them, their fingers barely brushing against the other’s. It would be too obvious if they held hands, the others would certainly notice the casual display of affection, despite how normal it felt to them. 

“It’s weird,” Astrid said, eyebrows furrowing. “It almost seems like this whole thing was planned.” Hiccup nodded in agreement, he had been thinking the same thing. It just seemed coincidental that they had turned up to help figure out what had happened to the dragon nests in the forest and then suddenly the whole island was under attack. What was even stranger, was that there was no trace of what had caused the destruction. Dagur had said that it looked like a ship attached to a dragon.  _ Was that even possible,  _ Hiccup thought to himself. Astrid gave his hand a brief squeeze and he looked back at her, seeing the same questions mirrored in her own eyes. 

“You’re right, it seems like they knew we would be here,” Hiccup replied. “And now Drakon is gone as well, it’s almost like someone took him during all the commotion.”

“Yeah, he would never leave Zephyr or even Nuffink” Astrid remarked. “Someone definitely took him and we need to find out who and get him back.”

“We will, and we already know who is behind it - it’s Viggo. We have to stop him before he does this to other islands and other dragon nesting grounds. But first we need a plan because right now, he is one step ahead.” 

“Okay, so when do we start planning?” Astrid asked.

“Right now.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm a lot happening here. Also I know that in RTTE, The Defenders of the Wing were hit by the shellfire first but I decided to change it to Berserker gets hit first - hopefully that won't bother anyone *nervous face*. Anyway hope you all like it :). Next chapter we will see what the future gang.


	9. Ultimatum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, sorry it has taken so long to update. I have spent the last few weeks fixing up all of the previous chapters and editing them. It was quite interesting to see the difference from when I first started writing and then now. I am always still learning new skills though :). Also, I have decided to call the time travel device the Dragon Key instead, all previous chapters have been edited to include this and you will see it called that from now on. Hope you all enjoy this quick chapter with the future gang.

Hiccup startled awake as a large wave crashed against the side of the boat, causing it to tilt so that he and the others all rolled over the floor of the cell. Astrid was half flung onto him from the force and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her as they both continued sliding across the wooden floor to where the bars were. He was rather glad that they had been released from their bondages, otherwise the situation would've been a lot more awkward. 

“Dammit! Ow!” Snotlout cursed as Tuffnut rolled into him, crushing him against the bars. Fishlegs managed to avoid rolling onto Ruffnut, Eret and Valka just in time and they all pressed against the bars as the boat continued rocking violently. Hiccup swiveled so that he took the full brunt of hitting the metal bars instead of Astrid and he let out a yelp as a searing pain tore through his still tender rib - a result of Zephyr’s dragon trap invention. Astrid wriggled out of his hold, hands immediately coming to where she knew the pain would be. 

“You muttonhead! Are you okay?” 

“You’re  _ welcome _ ,” Hiccup wheezed sarcastically, bringing a hand to cover one of hers where it was skimming lightly across the bruised area. Astrid pursed her lips together as though trying to hold back a smile though her eyes were still filled with concern. “It’s  _ fine _ , don’t worry about me.” Astrid snorted in response, moving back slightly so he could sit up with a low grunt. 

“Speak for yourself,” Snotlout moaned while holding his shoulder. “I think I have the imprint of the bar on one side, and one of Tuffnut on the other.” Eret rolled his eyes at the shorter viking and then turned to help Valka to her feet, Fishlegs doing the same for Ruffnut. 

“Wonder if we are heading into a storm?” Valka remarked, a look of worry spreading across her features. Hiccup had been wondering the same thing, though he hoped that it had been just a freak wave. There was no doubt in his mind that they would be in a lot of trouble should the boat capsize, given that they were all Calder’s prisoners. 

“Let’s hope not,” Hiccup replied, gazing around the cell which was a lot brighter given that it was now mid morning. The others murmured their agreement, all coming to group together. Hiccup opened his mouth to say something but then the door slammed open, revealing a smug looking Calder.

“Morning everyone, I hope you all slept well,” he said cheerfully. They all glared back at him in contempt but this only seemed to feed his amusement. “Judging by those looks, I take it that you didn’t. But that’s not why I came to visit you this fine morning, I am wanting to have a wee chat with Hickey over there.” 

Hiccup scowled at the taunting nickname, fists clenching so tightly that his fingernails embedded in his palm. “I already told you, I don’t know where the Hidden World is. Just please, let us go - this is just pointless.”

Calder laughed again. “Yeah, see I am not buying that little story. So I guess I will have to give you some more  _ motivation  _ to remember where it is exactly.” Hiccup’s eyes widened as he processed the threat. If Calder wasn't about to give up on questioning him about the Hidden World, then it was likely they would be trapped here for a very long time. This meant that getting Zephyr and Nuffink back just became a hell of a lot harder. 

“Whatever motivation you have, it’s not going to work because I don’t know where it is,” Hiccup told him through gritted teeth. He felt Astrid’s hand brush against his and he grasped onto it tightly. 

“Hmm, we shall see about that. Guards, bring him to my quarters,” Calder instructed the men behind him. “Oh and bring the Wifey as well.” Valka, Eret, Snotlout and Tuffnut all cried out in protest as the guards entered, using their weapons to make them move away. Ruffnut attempted to steal the keys from one of the guards while he was distracted but another noticed and grasped her hand, pushing her hard so that she fell back into Fishlegs. 

“Hey, that’s my wife you monster!” Fishlegs exclaimed angrily. The guard just guffawed, raising his spare to poke the tip into Fishlegs belly, causing the gentle giant to squeak with surprise. Hiccup glared at that guard as another grabbed his upper arm, pulling him roughly towards the open door. Astrid was pulled along behind him, grunting in what appeared to be frustration and anger. Calder laughed again, following behind them as the guards led them to a separate room on the boat, shoving them both inside of it. Calder took a seat at a small desk that was located in the middle of the room, gesturing for them to take the other spare seats. Astrid and Hiccup shared a glance, both eyebrows raised in defiance as they rejected the offer to sit down. Calder didn’t seem bothered by this, instead he pulled something out and placed it onto the desk - the Dragon Key. Hiccup gasped when he saw it, moving towards it. A guard blocked him from moving any closer and he had no choice but to retreat back to where Astrid stood, glaring at Calder. 

“I see I have both of your attention,” Calder chuckled, picking the Dragon Key up in his hands to inspect it closely. “Now, tell me what this interesting...thing is?”

“Like I said, it’s a toy for my kids - their snoggletog present,” Hiccup said with an exasperated sigh. 

Calder hummed, staring intently into Hiccup’s eyes. “Well if that’s the case, I am sure you can just get them something else, guards, throw this into the ocean would you?”

A guard moved forward to take it just as Hiccup and Astrid cried out “No!”, both desperately trying to reach the Dragon Key. Calder smiled triumphantly, indicating that he had just gotten exactly what he wanted - the truth that the object was more than just a ‘toy’.

“You seem very fond of this...toy,” he commented with interest. “So let me make a deal with you. I will release you and your friends, if you travel to the Mineral Islands and locate the dragon that is hiding there. When you find it, report back to me and I will give you this object back. You will all be free to go if you succeed in this mission.”

“And if we don’t succeed?” Hiccup asked angrily. 

“Then you don’t get your precious toy back. Imagine how disappointed your children would be if they didn’t get their special Snoggletog present.” 

“I can just get them something else,” Hiccup replied dryly - though his heart was racing at the thought of losing the only thing capable of getting his children back.

Calder’s face fell but then lit up with an idea. “Okay, what if we keep the Wifey there to ensure that you keep your word and come back,” he suggested, causing Hiccup to recoil in horror at the thought. 

“No!” he exclaimed firmly.

“Deal,” Astrid said at the same time. Hiccup turned to look at her in shock.

“What? No, no deal,” he said, turning to look back at Calder who was watching with amusement. 

“Hiccup, listen to me. This...this is the best chance we’ve got and you know it,” Astrid pleaded while trying to get his attention. Hiccup wouldn’t meet her eyes though, the thought of leaving her behind with this maniac was causing his anxiety to reach an all time high. He was already separated from his children, he couldn’t possibly handle being separated from her as well. “Please Hiccup, it’s the only way. We have to do this.” Her voice sounded desperate and so unlike Astrid that it caused a pang of pain in Hiccup’s heart. Because of course she was desperate - she was a mother separated from her children. 

“Okay, I will look for this dragon for you,” Hiccup told Calder quietly. 

Calder clapped his hands together, looking smug as he hid the Dragon Key away again. “I’m glad you’ve come to your senses, Hiccup. If what you say is true and only a dragon can reach the Hidden World then perhaps whatever is hiding on Mineral Islands will be able to take me there. I belong with them - my fellow dragons.”

Hiccup couldn’t suppress the snort that escaped him. “If you really were a dragon don’t you think you would’ve been able to find the Hidden World yourself,” he quipped. Calder’s face turned bright red with rage and he clicked his fingers at his guards who immediately came to shove Hiccup over to the desk, forcefully pushing him so that his face and upper body laid flat against it. 

“Hiccup!” Astrid yelled and he heard her try to intervene.

“Listen to your wife, Hickey. What you say and do will impact how she gets treated during her stay here,” Calder snarled at him. At those words, Hiccup immediately clamped his mouth shut, falling limp against the guards hold. He wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize her safety - as tough as she was, he didn’t want her to suffer in any way. “That’s more like it. Now you will be taken back to the cells where you will tell the others of the plan. We will be approaching Mineral Islands shortly so you will have just enough time to prepare yourselves.” 

Hiccup didn’t respond as he and Astrid were dragged out of the room and back to the cells where the others were waiting for them. 

“Oh thank goodness you are both all right,” Valka said in relief as they were both pushed back into the small cell. 

“What happened? What did he say?” Eret asked. Hiccup couldn’t find the words to explain, instead choosing to lean against the wall of the ship while he processed the deal he had just made with the madman. 

Astrid seemed to sense that he wasn’t in the space of mind to reply and filled them in instead. When she had finished, the other six all looked shocked and horrified at the thought of her having to stay behind. 

“That’s crazy. Why would you agree to such a thing?” Eret asked Astrid, sounding slightly concerned. 

“Because it is literally the only way we are going to get out of this mess. The longer we are trapped here, the longer it will be to get the Dragon Key fixed so we can get Zephyr and Nuffink back.” 

The others all nodded, knowing that Astrid was right though no one liked the plan at all. Ruffnut approached Astrid as the others all talked among themselves, speaking quietly so no one else would hear. “Take this. When the guards are sleeping, use it to pick the lock and you will be able to escape. Get the Dragon Key and then get out of here,” she whispered and passed her a thin, metal object that was no longer than Astrid’s pinky finger. Astrid gave her a thankful smile and hid the tool in her boot so that it was out of sight. Ruffnut smiled in return and went to stand back over with Fishlegs, leaving Astrid to approach Hiccup who was still leaning against the side of the ship, looking at nothing in particular. 

“Hiccup?” she asked hesitantly, placing a hand on his arm. Hiccup made a noise of acknowledgment and turned to face her, anxiety and doubt written all over his features. 

“I don’t like this,” he told her and she smiled knowingly. 

“I know, but we don’t have any other choice.”

Hiccup sighed again, thudding his head lightly on the wall behind him. “Yeah, but leaving you behind…it just doesn’t feel right.” Astrid cast her eyes downwards, clearly trying to think of something to say to help how he was feeling. “I just...don’t know what I would do if I lost you as well.” 

Her eyes shot back up to meet his, seeing the endearing look he was giving her. “You won’t lose me,” she promised him. “And nothing is going to happen to me, they wouldn’t risk anything until you all come back with the news about this supposed dragon.”

“You’re right, I’m being silly,” he replied, taking her hands in his. If she could be brave, then he could be as well, they had to focus on getting the kids back.

They had been so absorbed in their conversation that they hadn’t noticed that the guards had come back until the sound of the door opening made them both jump. “All right, all of you come this way - except for her,” a guard ordered and then pointed to Astrid. Hiccup turned to look back at her, swallowing hard when he realised that this was it, he was about to leave her on a boat with a psychotic man who thought he was a dragon trapped in a man's body and his guards. 

Hiccup surged forward, pressing his lips against hers in a desperate kiss. “I’ll be back okay, I promise. I’ll find the gems while I’m there.” Astrid nodded and he kissed her again, pulling her tightly against him until a guard came over and wretched them apart.

“That’s enough of that,” he growled at them, shoving Hiccup towards the others who had all been watching hopelessly. Hiccup took one last glimpse at Astrid before he was pushed through the other door and up the stairs leading to the deck. The brightness from the sun caused him to squint as was led over to where Calder was standing, the others dragged along behind him until they were all pushed to their knees in front of him. 

“So you managed to fill them in about the task, Hickey?” Calder asked. Hiccup nodded in confirmation, jaw set to hold back any witty or sarcastic remarks that could cause him to punish Astrid. Calder looked satisfied and motioned for the guards to drop one of the row boats into the ocean. Hiccup took the time to look around at their surroundings, noticing that the boat was in shallower waters. Fishlegs was the first to notice Mineral Islands and they all turned to the direction where he was looking. It was not too far off, maybe an hour of rowing and they would make it to shore. The waves were calm which Hiccup was relieved to see, it meant it would make it easier to row without the risk of capsizing. 

“Right, there you go. The ship will be waiting in this location, so once you find the dragon, come back here immediately,” Calder instructed them.  _ Like I would be going anywhere else while my wife is stuck here,  _ Hiccup thought to himself angrily. 

He was pulled to his feet and guided over to a ladder that led down to the awaiting boat below. Giving Calder one final look of disdain, he began to climb down the ladder, followed quickly by Snotlout, Valka and then the others. Once they were all squashed in the boat, Hiccup, Snotlout and Eret each took an oar and began to row away from the ship, towards the island that would hopefully give them the answers that would allow them to get the Dragon Key and Astrid back. Hiccup just hoped that he wouldn’t regret the decision he had made. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all the readers who support this fic by leaving kudos and comments. It is much appreciated :). Next chapter will continue on with the future gang.


	10. Separated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your kind comments and support :). It is much appreciated. There is quite a few POVs in this chapter. However I felt it was necessary so that readers are able to see what is happening with the main characters. I hope it isn't confusing.

Hiccup couldn’t help but turn back to look at the ship as they drifted further and further away. The ship where Astrid was trapped until he and the others succeeded in finding this dragon that was supposedly hiding on Mineral Islands. A feeling of dread hit him. What if they failed? What if there was no dragon at all? What would happen then? He would essentially lose his children  _ and _ his wife because Calder was adamant there was one and would assume that he was lying if he came back empty handed. Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut in frustration, head moving down onto his hands which were wrapped around the handle of the oar. It was the only thing keeping him from jumping off the boat and swimming back to the ship. A hand fell on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He looked up with watery eyes to see Valka giving him a knowing look. “I know son. We will get her back. We will get all of them back.” Hiccup smiled gratefully, hoping that she was right. Tightening his grip on the oar, he began to row again, this time at a faster pace. 

They reached shallow waters, each jumping out and into the waves to help drag the boat onto the sand. “Okay, so now what?” Snotlout asked, throwing his hands up as they surveyed the surroundings. The island consisted of a sandy beach and a multitude of rock formations - each containing various minerals and gemstones. A large volcano was situated in the centre of the island, slowly emitting gas into the cloudless sky. 

Hiccup turned to the other six with a look of determination. They would need to separate to cover more ground. “Eret, mom and Snotlout, you are with me. We will go looking for the dragon. Ruffnut, Fishlegs and Tuffnut, you go collect the gemstones for the Dragon Key. Fishlegs will know which ones to get.” The group nodded, moving into their respective groups while Hiccup debated which direction to head in. “Eret, do you remember where the tracks for the dragon were?” he asked. 

Eret nodded, moving forward to stand next to him. “It was on the east side of the island - that way.” Hiccup’s eyes followed to where Eret pointed towards an opening between the mountains. It wasn’t too far away which meant it wouldn’t take long to get there, but it would mean they would have to leave the beach - and lose sight of Calder’s ship. Hiccup ran a hand through his hair, debating whether it would be wise to have one person stay behind to keep an eye on the ship, just in case. But having more people searching would likely get the job done faster, so he decided against it and gestured for the others to follow. Eret, Snotlout and Valka followed behind him wordlessly. As they came to the opening, Hiccup took one last look at the ship in the distance, his heart panging with guilt. 

* * *

Astrid was leaning with her back against the side of the ship, staring absentmindedly at the bars in front of her. She didn’t know how long it had been since the others had been taken, but it felt like hours. With a sigh, she picked up the deadly nadder toy - Nuffink’s toy and held it close to her face, taking comfort in the scent. It was hard to believe that only a few days ago, the blonde haired, green eyed boy had stumbled into their room in the early hours of the morning, the stuffed toy held firmly in his grasp as he climbed onto their bed to snuggle in between them. 

She held her hand up, inspecting the handmade bracelet on her wrist, a gift from Zephyr for her birthday last year. It was decorated with blunt metal studs and runes which said ‘I love you, mum’ were engraved on the inside. Right now, these small sentimental things were the only thing keeping her sane. She had no way of knowing if Hiccup and the others had found this dragon that Calder was so obsessed with finding. For all she knew, it could be days before they returned. Unless she decided to utilize the small tool that Ruffnut had slipped her before she was taken away, taking the chance to escape while Calder and his guards slept. But to where? There was probably no other boat and Astrid didn’t know if she had enough energy to swim all the way to shore. Not when she’d barely had anything to eat or drink for that matter. No one had brought her anything, not even leftovers. If she didn’t have anything to eat or drink soon then she was likely to become even weaker - making it impossible to escape let alone fight any guards if she was spotted. 

Astrid pulled her knees up, resting her chin on them as she debated what to do. She could wait for Hiccup to return. Or she could escape, sneak into Calder’s sleeping quarters at night and retrieve the Dragon Key. She would just have to risk swimming to shore. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d had to swim in the deep ocean for a long period of time. If she had a piece of driftwood or even something that floated then it would make it easier. Before she had a chance to formulate an exact plan, the main doors abruptly opened - a pair of guards walking in. “Put your hands together,” one of them ordered. Astrid complied, knowing that it would not be wise to take them on when she was weak and without a weapon. The guard tied her hands together with rope, pulling her out of the cell and up the stairs, onto the deck. The sun was bright, almost blinding from being trapped in the darkness for so long. Astrid squinted, adjusting to the light in time for her to be shoved inside another cabin, different from Calder’s quarters. Inside was a table set for two; two wooden chairs and unfortunately Calder himself. 

“Ah there she is. Astie isn’t it?” Calder greeted with fake enthusiasm. “Come and sit down. I thought you would be hungry.” 

Astrid paused, looking at the table where the mouthwatering meal was served. There were loaves of bread, yak chops, stew and more importantly, water. The sight made her stomach rumble with hunger, cracked lips desperate for even a drop of water. But she knew it was unwise for her to accept anything from Calder, especially given the circumstances - it could be poisoned. “I’ll pass,” she replied flatly. “And my name is Astrid, not Astie.”

Calder threw his head back and laughed. “Still the spitfire that you were last time, I see. Excellent.” Astrid didn’t say anything in reply, just stared at him, waiting for him to continue. Instead he began eating, ignoring her completely while she stood there with her hands still bound. She watched him eat, trying to ignore the pleading noise her stomach was making. “You know Astrid, it’s probably best you eat something. And don’t worry, there is no poison in there. Not this time anyway.” Calder smirked, leaning back in the chair to survey her. 

“A bit hard to eat with my hands bound,” Astrid quipped, holding her bound hands up to prove her point. 

Calder hummed, looking at her thoughtfully. “I suppose you are right. How about we release those hands so you can eat. I am sure you are not silly enough to try anything when I hold such an important object.” He clicked his fingers to summon the guard at the door and gestured for him to remove the binding around Astrid’s hands. She turned towards him to allow him to do it, cringing when the blade of the knife came close to piercing her skin. As soon as her hands were unbound, she rubbed the red marks on her wrist and took a seat at the table, ignoring the smug look from Calder as she took a piece of bread. “I knew you were hungry,” he remarked, watching as she devoured some stew. Astrid didn’t reply, too busy focusing on how the water soothed her parched throat as she drank from the mug. 

Once Astrid had eaten all she could, Calder ordered his guards to take away the leftovers and dinnerware. She sat there as they cleared the table, not making eye contact with Calder who was watching her carefully. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable. “Am I going back to my cell or are you planning on staring at me for the rest of the day?” she asked bitterly. 

Calder chuckled, standing and walking around to where she sat. “Perhaps it is time you went back to your cell. Let’s hope Hickey has managed to find this dragon that I seek. The sooner he does, the sooner you will be set free.” He beckoned his guards to come and take her back to the cell, an evil smile on his face as he watched her be led out of the room. The smile unnerved her.  _ What was he planning? _ she wondered to herself. 

The guards pushed Astrid in, slamming the door shut behind her and locking it. The cell was dark and gloomy, the same as it had been when she left. Instead of wallowing about the current situation, Astrid got to work on formulating a plan to escape, carefully mapping out the ship to see what the easiest route would be. She had to get the Dragon Key and get off the ship to find the others. The sooner the better, if Calder’s smile was anything to go by. 

* * *

**(Back in the past)**

Hiccup awoke to the sound of someone quietly sobbing. He sat up turning to look at Astrid who was still asleep next to him. Nuffink was also still asleep, curled up on the other side of Astrid. But the space where Zephyr had been sleeping was empty. Panicking slightly, Hiccup looked around their temporary sleeping quarters until he finally found Zephyr sitting in the corner, her head down. Carefully moving the furs and sliding out of the bed without disrupting Astrid, Hiccup moved over to where she was. “Zephyr, are you okay?” he asked, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Zephyr sniffled, raising her head to meet his concerned eyes. 

“It’s all my fault,” she whispered as fresh tears began running down her face. The sight broke Hiccup’s heart and he pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair as she sobbed. 

“It’s not your fault,” he murmured softly. 

Zephyr shook her head. “You don’t understand. If I hadn’t said I hated dragons or believed all those lies in Grandpa’s stupid book then Mom and Dad - I mean you guys, wouldn’t have gone to Grumpa’s for help and then Nuffink and I wouldn’t have found that time travel device thing in his workshop and come here. Now because of me Drakon is with the bad guys and Mom and Dad are probably really worried because they don’t know where we are.”

Hiccup pulled away slightly, looking into her sorrowful eyes and giving her a soft smile. “All of that is not your fault. You weren’t to know that any of that would happen, okay. And I promise you we will get Drakon back and we will send you back to the future - where you both belong.” Zephyr gave a small smile, throwing her arms around him again. 

“Thank you...Dad.”

Her words warmed Hiccup’s heart. He loved these kids - despite only knowing them for such a short time. It made him look forward to the future, knowing that he would marry the love of his life and have these children. But he still couldn’t comprehend why his future self had sent away the dragons. Zephyr and Nuffink had said it was to keep them safe - but from what? All the Dragon Hunter’s had apparently gone, so why would they need to be sent away? He glanced over at Toothless, who was curled up nearby, watching him and Zephyr with one eye open. It was in that moment, that Hiccup made a promise to both himself and Toothless - he would find another way that didn’t involve them being seperated. 

“Come on, let's get you back to bed,” Hiccup quietly suggested to Zephyr. He got to his feet and held his hand out for her to take. Zephyr placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her to her feet. He tucked her back under the furs, kissing the top of her head before climbing back in beside Astrid, falling back asleep within minutes. 

The next morning, Hiccup, Astrid, Zephyr and Nuffink met with the other riders to discuss their plan. It was decided that they would need to locate the Dragon Hunter’s base first, there they would find Drakon and the other captured dragons and any information regarding the mysterious weapon that had attacked Berserker Island. Hiccup was also hoping that they would be able to get the Dragon Eye back, though it was unlikely that Viggo would just leave it lying around. 

“So you want us to go on a wild goose chase to find the Dragon Hunters? They could be anywhere,” Snotlout whined. 

Hiccup sighed. “We have ideas as to where they could be hiding, we just need to check them all first.”

Fishlegs looked thoughtful for a moment. “Would it be a good idea to check the other island’s as well? If they laid siege on Berserker Island, what’s to say that they won’t do the same to Wingmaiden Island or Caldera Cay.” 

“Fishlegs is right. We should warn them just in case they are next,” Astrid agreed. 

“Am I the only one who  _ doesn’t  _ want to find the thing that did all this damage?” Tuffnut asked incredulously. Ruffnut nodded in agreement. 

“We can’t let them do this to any other islands. We have to stop them,” Hiccup declared. 

“And we have to get Drakon back. He will be scared without us,” Zephyr piped up. Everyone turned to look at her, watching how she folded her arms with sureness.

“We will get Drakon back, don’t worry,” Astrid told her, kneeling down to her level, “But you and Nuffink can’t come with us this time.” Zephyr and Nuffink both started protesting, causing her to raise her hands up to silence them. 

“It’s not safe - and you know that. We can’t be fighting Dragon Hunter’s if we are always worrying about you two,” Hiccup added gently. “And I don’t think we will be trusting Johann with babysitting again - so one of us is going to have to stay here and watch them while the rest of us go.” 

Fishlegs began to raise his hand but Tuffnut and Ruffnut had already beaten him to it. “We’ll do it,” they both said in unison. Hiccup and Astrid shared a look, both wary about leaving the children with the twins, especially given their reputation for trouble. 

“Ah… well I suppose it would be okay. But honestly no playing ‘bat the nut’ or anything dangerous, they’re just kids remember,” Astrid warned. The twins both nodded, rolling their eyes at her brief lecture. Zephyr and Nuffink looked happy to be staying with the twins, and also Heather and Dagur. They were all going to help rebuild the village that had been destroyed the day before. 

Hiccup and Astrid gave Zephyr and Nuffink a quick hug, telling them that they would both be back as soon as possible. They both didn’t want to leave them, but it was not a good idea for them to come along when Viggo had a secret weapon that could devastate entire islands. It was lucky that they had escaped without harm the first time. 

Hiccup and the others mounted their dragons as the twins, Barf and Belch, Zephyr and Nuffink watched on. “Now seriously, keep your eyes on them at all times,” Astrid stressed. 

“Stop worrying, Astrid. They will be in good hands,” Ruffnut replied. 

“Yeah what she said. Come on Nuffink, I am going to teach you how to run into a tree without knocking yourself out,” Tuffnut announced, ignoring the glare that Astrid gave him. 

“Let’s go everyone,” Hiccup called out and they all took off after them, waving back at the others. “We should split up. Astrid and I will go to Caldera Cay, Snotlout, you and Fishlegs go to Wingmaiden Island. Warn them about the attacks. Keep your eyes peeled for any Dragon Hunter boats on the way. And watch out for any signs of that weapon. Whatever it is, it’s dangerous.” 

“Okay, I am definitely not complaining about going to see those lovely ladies,” Snotlout said with a dreamy expression on his face. Fishlegs blushed, babbling something that Hiccup couldn’t hear. Astrid seemed pleased that they were teamed up together, giving him a smile as they flew alongside each other. Snotlout and Fishlegs flew off in the other direction, leaving the two of them to fly towards Caldera Cay. He could tell that Astrid was still thinking about the kids, the distant expression on her face made it obvious. But it was the right choice to make. They couldn’t put them in harm's way - not again.

“Are you okay?” Hiccup asked after a while. 

Astrid turned to look at him, eyebrows raised. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” 

“You just look like your head is elsewhere.”

“Oh...well I suppose I was just thinking about Zephyr and Nuffink. I can’t believe they were in the firing path of whatever that thing was that attacked Berserker Island. What if they had been hurt or killed...it would be all our fault for leaving them.”

Hiccup mulled this over. He had felt guilty about this as well, although he was thankful that they hadn’t been harmed. Because she was right, it would have been their fault for leaving them there with Johann. But it was just as dangerous to bring them along - perhaps even more so. It seemed as though whatever choice they made, Zephyr and Nuffink were at risk, though Hiccup hated to admit it. 

“I know what you mean, Astrid. We have to get rid of this threat before it attacks other islands and we need to rescue Drakon and the other dragons. I don’t know what Viggo is planning - but I don’t like it. Especially since he still has the Dragon Eye. Zephyr and Nuffink will be okay” 

Astrid hummed in reply. Still keeping her gaze ahead rather than meeting his eyes. He sighed, scratching Toothless behind the ear to distract himself. The Night Fury warbled, turning his head and looking up at him with curiosity. Hiccup gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay bud, I’m just thinking.” Toothless crooned and looked back ahead to where Stormfly was. The Deadly Nadder squawked back at him, seeming a bit apprehensive as they approached Caldera Bay - or what used to be Caldera Bay. 

“Hiccup, we’re too late,” Astrid gasped. Hiccup’s heart sank as Toothless and Stormfly hovered over the smoking village that was home to the Defenders of the Wing tribe. Viggo had already beaten them there.

“We need to go and see Mala and Throk,” Hiccup called over to Astrid who was staring at the destroyed island with wide eyes. She nodded mutely, steering Stormfly after Toothless. They landed amongst the smoking rumble, quickly dismounting as the tribe began to surround them, their eyes downcast. “I am so sorry,” was all Hiccup could say. 

Mala and Throk hurried over to them. “Hiccup Haddock. I am so glad you are here. We were attacked out of nowhere. We tried to defend ourselves - but we couldn’t see what it was attacking us,” Mala told them, a hint of anger in the queen's voice. 

“It was Viggo, he’s built some sort of weapon that can attack from afar. Dagur said it looked like a battleship that was attached to a dragon. Berserker Island was targeted yesterday while we were helping Dagur and Heather investigate the dragon nests,” Hiccup informed them, causing both Mala and Throk to gasp in surprise. 

“This is very worrying. If Viggo has this sort of fire power then it will be difficult to defeat him. Our village has suffered a lot of damage and it will take a long time to rebuild. However we will stand with you Hiccup Haddock - together we will defeat Viggo,” Mala said with certainty. Hiccup gave her a determined smile, looking back at Astrid who did the same. There was no way they could let Viggo win. He had to be brought down. And quickly before any other dragons or islands could be destroyed. But first, they were going to have to talk to Stoick and Berk’s council. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, everyone's getting separated in both the past and the future. Does anyone have any guesses as to who the dragon is that Hiccup and the others are looking for? We are also getting closer to Viggo's appearance. I'm excited for him to make his entrance. Though I wonder who will be worse - Viggo or Calder. Thanks for reading :).


	11. Lost and Found

Viggo observed the Maces and Talons board in front of him, eying the pieces carefully. He had never encountered an opponent as challenging as Hiccup Haddock, which both intrigued him and irritated him. It seemed the young man was always one step ahead - or at least had the ability to overcome every obstacle Viggo sent his way. His patience was wearing thin as a result. Hiccup and the rider’s had almost obliterated his entire business, leaving him powerless. Recently, they had intercepted one of the hunter’s ships, rescuing the baby Monstrous Nightmare that happened to be the offspring of a Titan Monstrous Nightmare. This particular dragon would’ve sold for a good price at the markets but oh no, Hiccup and the rider’s had to interfere yet again, leaving him with barely any stock to sell. 

He had to think of a better plan, something that would cripple Hiccup once and for all. Though, Viggo had to admit, there was a small part of him that also admired Hiccup - particularly his intelligence and pureness. But he couldn’t let that distract him. His hunger for power and control was far more important than a simple attraction. 

Viggo stroked his beard, deep in thought when there was a knock at the entrance to his oseberg tent. “Enter,” he commanded and Ryker pushed open the flap, strolling in with a devious look on his face.

“Brother, to what do I owe this visit,” Viggo questioned. 

“The hunters and I would all like to know what the next move is. Since Berserker Island, we’ve been camping out here for days with no action, and some are starting to get restless. Some are even saying that perhaps you aren’t fit to lead anymore.” 

Viggo raised his eyebrows. “Is that so? And what are the names of those that are getting restless. Perhaps I could give them a specific task that will keep them busy. And the names of those that think I am unworthy of leading, I would like to speak with them directly.”

Ryker’s face dropped, clearly not expecting this reaction from his younger brother. “It’s ah...oh I can’t remember the names now, but you know, the ones with the helmets on.”

Viggo said nothing, surveying Ryker carefully, as though he was putting pieces of a puzzle together. It made him squirm slightly. “Careful, dear brother. One might think that you are trying to conspire against me - and we all know that I have no tolerance for traitors,” Viggo warned. Ryker nodded, bowing slightly before leaving Viggo’s tent while muttering something under his breath. His behaviour was odd, something that Viggo would have to keep an eye on. The last thing he needed was Ryker leading the hunters into a riot. 

Viggo decided to focus on this later, exiting the hut and wandering down past the scattered tents, heading towards the cages where a few dragons were imprisoned. The dragons cowered at the sight of him, watching him wearily as he paced up and down the cages. These dragons would bring in some profit, but it was still not enough. 

Sighing, Viggo turned to walk back to the main campsite, seeing that there was a new arrival. The brownish coloured hair, streaked with grey and the twisted beard helped him recognise this visitor to be Johann, who happened to be his accomplice in the dragon hunting business. He, along with a few other hunters appeared to be pulling something on a long rope. As Viggo came closer, he noticed that it was the baby Monstrous Nightmare that the riders had rescued from his clutches. He remembered the dark orange and green dragon that was so unique from all the others in the nest when they had captured them - with its dark spots instead of the common stripes of a Monstrous Nightmare. 

Johann looked up as he approached, quickly gesturing to the dragon with a victorious smile. “Ah Viggo, there you are. I think you are missing this dragon in your little collection,” Johann told him with a look of triumph in his eyes. Viggo hummed in acknowledgement, getting down on one knee to inspect the dragon who was busy struggling against the ropes that constricted around its wings and torso, its mouth clamped shut to prevent it from breathing fire. A deep gash was across the dragon's snout, oozing blood and clearly a fresh wound.

“What happened there,” Viggo demanded. Johann looked over to see what he meant, scowling when he noticed the wound. 

“I thought I told you hunters to be careful!” he turned to scold the hunters who were trying to control the small Monstrous Nightmare. “How do you expect us to sell this dragon when he is scarred?!” The hunters all exchanged a sheepish look, each trying to avoid the blame so they would not be punished. 

Viggo sighed. “Nothing we can do about it now. It may still sell for a fair price, especially with being the offspring of a titan wing. I am curious to know how you came to retrieve the dragon from the riders, Johann?”

An evil smile crept onto Johann’s face, “Oh my good friend - that is a story you are definitely going to want to hear.” 

Viggo mirrored the evil smile, a cunning look in his eyes as he gestured towards his hut where they would be able to speak in private. “I look forward to hearing this story.” Together the two men walked side by side, ignoring Drakon’s whimpering as the hunters dragged him off to an empty cage. 

* * *

It was nearing nightfall by the time Hiccup, Valka and Eret came across fresh dragon prints in the dry dirt. Hiccup couldn’t believe that it was true - that there was actually a dragon nearby. So many questions were buzzing around his head. What did this mean? Why was this dragon not in the Hidden World with others of their kind? He leant down to inspect the print closely, his fingers lightly tracing around the edges. It was clearly a big dragon judging by the size of the footprint. The claw alone was almost the length of Hiccup’s forearm. 

“This dragon is big,” he informed Eret and Valka who were both inspecting the print in front. 

“Agreed,” Eret replied, standing to look over at him. “It almost appears to be the print of a Monstrous Nightmare - though much bigger.”

“I think you might be right,” Hiccup answered as he examined the print again. “It does look like a Monstrous Nightmare, but I don’t recall seeing one this size before.”

“Unless it is a titan wing,” Valka piped up, her eyes bright with wonder at the thought of seeing a dragon again after ten years. Hiccup understood this excitement, he too was glad to see proof that the dragons were still here. And she could be right, a titan wing dragon would surely be larger than a normal species of Monstrous Nightmare, which also meant that they would be more dangerous. 

“I guess we follow these tracks and find out,” Hiccup suggested with a tight smile. He had just realised that if they did find this dragon, he would have to tell Calder its exact location in order to fulfill his end of the deal and get Astrid plus the Dragon Key back. If they did find this dragon, there was no way he would let it get harmed by Calder, or let him use it for his own gain. He knew that Calder would use the dragon to lead him to the Hidden World where all the dragons were hiding - and there was no way in helheim that he was going to let that happen. But on the other hand - Astrid was Calder’s prisoner, currently waiting for him to come back so that they could get the Dragon Key and use the newly found gemstones to go back to where their children were currently stuck in the past. 

Hiccup had to come up with a plan, and fast. His mind raced with every possible solution to the problem as the three of them continued walking, following the tracks that would hopefully lead to the dragon. He was too busy concentrating on the scenarios in his head that he failed to realise what lay ahead until Valka put her hand out, stopping both men in their tracks. Hiccup blinked, mouth gaping as he took in the sight before them. Their suspicions about the dragon being a Monstrous Nightmare were correct, it was also definitely a titan wing judging by the size and the patterns on its body. Its colour was a mix of dark orange and green, with black spots that dotted its back and across its wings. Hiccup also noticed a scar across the dragon’s muzzle as it bent down to drink from the spring - clearly oblivious to the three humans watching it. 

“Are you - seeing what I’m seeing?” Eret whispered. Hiccup nodded, unable to form any words as he watched the dragon spread its wings gracefully before preening itself. 

“What do you suggest we do now, son?” Valka murmured. 

Hiccup turned to look at her, then at Eret. “Lets just watch it for a bit, I don’t want to intimidate it. Besides, I think it is best that we observe its behaviour for a while - see what the temperament is like before introducing ourselves.” 

Valka smiled, obviously agreeing with his plan while Eret nodded. Together, they remained hidden in the bush, watching the dragon peer in the water, licking its chops before surging forwards to grab a fish. It flicked it into the air and caught it with its large jaws, practically swallowing it whole. Hiccup smiled as he remembered how Toothless used to do something similar with his fish. He hoped that they would be able to make friends with this dragon, so far it seemed pretty placid. 

Going against his earlier suggestion of just observing the dragon's temperament, Hiccup moved out of the bush, ignoring the questions of Valka and Eret behind him, instead giving them a brief wave to quieten them. Slowly, he etched forwards, trying to make a bit of noise so that the winged creature wouldn’t feel as though he was being ambushed. 

The dragon turned to gaze upon Hiccup as he approached, looking slightly wary at the newcomer and moving into a defensive stance. Hiccup gulped nervously, extending his hand out to the dragon who was watching him carefully. Hanging his head down, Hiccup waited for the dragons next move - praying to the gods that he wasn't about to get his hand bitten off. Time seemed to freeze as he continued to wait, until finally, a warm snout touched his palm, hot breath tickling his skin as the dragon inhaled and exhaled. Gaping slightly, Hiccup turned to face the dragon in awe. He almost couldn’t believe that it was real. 

“Hey there,” he whispered to the dragon, caressing the side of its snout and smiling when it rumbled happily in response. “How did you get here huh? You’re supposed to be with the other dragons.” The Monstrous Nightmare blinked, cocking its head slightly as though Hiccup should already know the answer. 

“Oh son, it’s beautiful - looks to be a male Monstrous Nightmare,” Valka said in a hushed whisper as both she and Eret came out of their hiding spot. Eret could only look on with amazement, his mouth open in wonder as the dragon surveyed them carefully with large, amber coloured eyes. 

“Agreed - but it doesn’t explain what he is doing here or how he got here,” Hiccup responded with a frown. Valka and Eret exchanged a look, both not seeming to have any possible clues to his questions. 

“Maybe we should regroup with the others...and discuss our next steps. Calder sent you here to find this dragon and now that you have...you need to decide how to proceed,” Valka offered gently. Hiccup nodded, turning back to look at the Monstrous Nightmare who was casually sniffing his hair with interest.

“You’re right. I need to get back to the ship for Astrid - I don’t want her there any longer than necessary, though I also don’t want to give Calder this dragon. I won’t let him find the Hidden World either - not when the main reason for sending Toothless and the others there was to protect them from people like him.”

“If I might be so bold as to make a suggestion, chief, but have you considered lying to Calder and saying that you didn’t find the whereabouts of this dragon?” Eret offered. Hiccup considered this for a moment. It could work, especially with Calder not being the brightest viking - no dragon man, in the Archipelago. It was also risky, and Hiccup wasn’t so sure he was willing to gamble Astrid’s wellbeing or the Dragon Key. He wanted to believe that Astrid was safe and sound on the boat, that they hadn’t done anything to harm her. He also knew that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, which had helped to calm his nerves thus far, but even then, underestimating Calder was not wise. 

“That could work,” Hiccup finally responded. “Let's take this dragon and go find the others.” He beckoned for the dragon to follow them, feeling a wave of relief when he compiled, even lowering his upper body so the three of them could climb onto his back. “We can’t fly,” he told the dragon. “If Calder or his men spotted you in the skies, then they would come and find you, and we can’t let that happen.” The Monstrous Nightmare made a gurgling noise in response, clearly having understood Hiccup as he lurched forward to stomp through the surrounding bushes, towards the beach where the others were hopefully waiting now that the sun had fully set. 

The dragon obviously knew where to go as they found themselves back at the opening rather quickly. Hiccup tapped the side of his neck, indicating for him to stop so that he could remain hidden behind the rock formations around them. Even though it was dark, Calder’s men could be watching them from afar and a large dragon would surely be noticeable even from that distance. “Wait here,” Hiccup instructed him gently as he dismounted before offering Valka and Eret assistance. “I will be back, I promise.” The dragon warbled and nudged Hiccup’s side, almost making him lose his balance.

Chuckling slightly, Hiccup squeezed through the opening, and immediately saw Fishlegs, Snotlout, Tuffnut and Ruffnut standing by a campfire that they must’ve built while waiting for them to return. 

“Hiccup - you’re back!” Fishlegs exclaimed as he, Valka and Eret approached the group. 

“Did you find it?” Tuffnut asked immediately with a look of excitement on his face. 

“Does it look like he found it?” Ruffnut snorted while rolling her eyes. 

“Actually - we did find it,” Hiccup replied with a smile, causing the others to gasp in surprise. 

“You did?! Where is it? What kind?” Snotlout questioned, barely containing his own excitement. 

Hiccup held his palms out to defer the questions that were hurled his way. “I’ve kept him hidden, I don’t want Calder or his men to spot him on the beach so until we make a plan - the dragon has to stay hidden in the mountains and out of view.”

The others nodded in understanding, before making their way to the opening to see the dragon for themselves. Hiccup led the way, making sure to do the introductions first so that the dragon knew that he could trust them all. The dragon seemed to approve of them, sniffing each of their hands and purring in content when they pet his large head. 

“Oh my thor, oh my thor. He is just like Hookfang!” Snotlout gushed. “I am going to call him, Hookfang Jr.”

“You can’t call him that! And he is _way_ bigger than Hookfang was,” Ruffnut remarked. 

“He is a lot bigger than the average Monstrous Nightmare,” Fishlegs commented thoughtfully. 

“That’s what I thought,” Hiccup replied. “I had wondered if he was a titan wing?” 

“It is possible that he is,” Fishlegs said while observing the markings on the dragons back. 

“How did he get here though?” Eret wondered aloud. 

Fishlegs hummed in thought, eyes lighting up when he came to a conclusion. “What if it had something to do with the kids going back to the past? What if something changed in the past that meant this dragon survived when beforehand, it hadn’t? So now, it exists in the future - meaning that it wouldn’t have gone to the Hidden World because it wasn’t there when Toothless led them away.” 

Hiccup gasped in realisation, which was quickly chorused by the others. “I hadn’t even thought of that!” 

“Like I said, it could just be a possibility,” Fishlegs said with a shrug. “Now you just need to figure out what you are going to do about Calder.” 

Hiccup’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know what to do. We can’t let Calder use this dragon to find the Hidden World. I need to figure out a way to get Astrid off the boat, along with the Dragon Key without Calder knowing anything about him.” 

“ _We_ need to find a way to get Astrid and the Dragon Key,” Valka added with determination. The others murmured their agreement and Hiccup gave them all a smile. 

“Right now, it is best if you all stay on the island and I go back to meet with Calder alone. That way he can’t imprison us all again.” He knew that while they didn’t approve of this plan, it made sense for only him to go, especially if Calder didn’t take the news well. 

“Okay - but you aren’t going to row back to the ship while it’s dark out, chief. It would be best to wait until morning,” Eret advised. Hiccup sighed, knowing that he was right even though his heart was screaming for him to return to the ship - to where Astrid was. He needed to see that she was safe and sound. Every inch of him hated being separated from her - especially in these circumstances. 

“I’ll sail at dawn,” Hiccup confirmed. “Until then, let's set up camp here and get some rest.”

The others hurried off to organise the campsite while the dragon watched on with amusement, his head following each of the riders as they bustled around. Hiccup scratched the dragon’s head absentmindedly, not in the mood to focus on anything around him - including the beautiful night sky that hung overhead, twinkling with the amount of stars that crowded around the silvery, crescent shaped moon like diamonds. All he could do was hope that this plan of tricking Calder would work.

* * *

Astrid sat inside the dark cell, ears straining to listen for any commotion outside. She knew that it was well into the night, judging by how long the moon had illuminated through the cracks in the wood that surrounded her - the white beams creating a puddle of light on the floor where she sat. What she didn’t know was whether or not the guards had resigned to their quarters for the night. There would at least be one or two posted by the doors outside the room, but they would be easy enough for Astrid to take out without raising too much alarm. At least she hoped so. 

She approached the doors to the cell, taking out the small, thin metal object that Ruffnut had snuck her, putting it into the lock and wiggling it around until she heard an audible click. The door swung open with a slight creak, making Astrid grin victoriously as she snuck through and hurried over to the main doors. Pulling it slightly ajar, she spotted two guards who were slumped against the wall, both snoring softly. _That was easy,_ Astrid thought to herself, tiptoeing past them and climbing up the stairs. The deck was empty much to her relief. Now all she needed to do was get to Calder’s quarters and find the Dragon Key. 

Tiptoeing carefully, Astrid snuck around the ship until she came to the familiar door. She pushed it open, holding her breath and willing her heart to stop beating so loudly as she crept in, squinting in the darkness. In the bed lay Calder, covered by furs and snoring rather loudly. His dragon skin costume was draped across the chair next to the bed, along with his sword that was leant up against it. Astrid almost considered taking the sword in case she needed to fight her way off the ship, but then decided to focus on finding the Dragon Key first. 

Moving over to the desk where she had last seen Calder hide the Dragon Key, Astrid slowly opened the drawers, cringing when it made a slight noise, causing Calder to snort in his sleep. Wincing, she began to rummage through the drawer as quietly as possible, feeling disappointed to find that the Dragon Key was not in there. Looking around the small room, Astrid began to think of where Calder could have put it. Calder snored again, this time rolling onto his side which made Astrid’s heart skip a beat. Something round was poking out from underneath his pillow, instantly sparking curiosity from Astrid. She crept over, squinting to see what the object was and almost gasped when she realised that it was the Dragon Key. 

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Astrid slowly reached out, attempting to carefully pull the Dragon Key out from underneath the pillow. It was easier said than done though, because as soon as she placed her hands on the device, Calder jumped in his sleep, startling her enough for her to recoil backwards. Biting her lip between her teeth, Astrid tried again, this time more successful as she managed to slide the Dragon Key out from underneath the pillow. She breathed a sigh of relief, about to cradle it to her chest when suddenly a hand shot out and grasped onto her wrist.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Viggo is now here, and he is about to find out something very interesting about his favourite rider Hiccup. And surprise about the dragon being Drakon. As to how he came to be on Mineral Islands, that will be touched on in the future chapters. It is all uphill from here guys :). A big thank you to those that comment - it makes my day to read your thoughts and also for the support.


	12. Calm before the storm

“I was wondering how long it would take you to escape,” Calder drawled, squeezing her wrist tightly in his clutch. Astrid gasped, attempting to land a punch with her free hand but he quickly caught it before it could make contact. “It seems you’ve lost your touch a bit there sweetheart, **GUARDS**!” The door flung open, no more than three guards rushing in to restrain her. Astrid kicked out with her legs, unable to use her hands since Calder was holding them tightly in his own. She held the Dragon Key so tightly that her knuckles were turning white but there was no use, she was quickly overpowered and the Dragon Key was ripped from her grasp. 

“Nooo!” she cried out in frustration. Squirming in their hold until she was forced to her knees, Astrid watched with horror as Calder took the Dragon Key from the guard, holding it up triumphantly. Upon seeing his victory, Astrid hung her head in defeat, knowing that there was nothing else she could do. 

“You know, your desperation to steal this weird little trinket has made my curiosity peak even more,” Calder said. He bent down to her level, using a long finger to lift her chin up to face him. “Tell me sweetheart, what is so special about this that you would risk trying to get it back instead of escaping?” Astrid stared back at him with all the defiance she could muster, her blue eyes sparking with hatred as his dull, brown ones waited eagerly for an answer. “I am waiting?” he demanded. Astrid just huffed and cast her eyes away, making him give a frustrated shout. “I want to know what this thing is **NOW** ! **Tell me or else!** ” 

Again, Astrid gave him no response. There was no way she was going to disclose the Dragon Key’s ability, not to someone like Calder. It would put all the dragons in the past at risk, not to mention Zephyr and Nuffink could be trapped there forever, something Astrid was definitely not willing to risk. Unfortunately for her, that meant being punished for disobeying. 

“Tie her up to one of the masts, with no food or water and leave her there until Hickey returns,” Calder commanded his guards. 

They nodded obediently and hoisted Astrid to her feet, dragging her out of the room and onto the main deck. It was still dark outside, the only source of light was the moon. Even with the natural light, Astrid couldn’t see the island in the distance, but she could see a small flickering fire, meaning that the others must’ve set up camp for the night. _Come on Hiccup, please hurry,_ she thought to herself as she was pushed up against the wooden pole, her wrists bound together behind her. 

* * *

Hiccup could not sleep, despite his best efforts in trying. All he could think about was Astrid, and how she was still trapped on that ship. He wondered if she was okay, and if she had at least been given food and water. The more he thought about it, the more he knew it wasn’t likely. The group hadn’t been offered anything during their time in the cells, even though they were only in there for one night. But still, he had to hope that Astrid was at least offered water. 

And then there were his children, currently twelve years in the past and in a time where they were up against Viggo and the rest of the Dragon Hunters. He tried to stay positive, believing that the children were with the younger versions of himself and Astrid who would no doubt protect them. It was hard to think of any other scenario without him almost having a panic attack at the thought of Zephyr and Nuffink in danger. 

Sighing, he rolled over on the sand where he and the others were camped, trying to block out the sound of Snotlout and Eret snoring. No matter how hard he tried, it was obvious that he was not going to be able to sleep, not with the anxiety that was haunting his every thought. There was only one way to fix that though, and that was to get to the ship as soon as possible. The plan had been for him to leave at dawn, but Hiccup decided to change that plan, instead getting up from where he lay and tiptoeing past the sleeping group. A loud snort behind Hiccup made him jump with fright, turning to see the large Monstrous Nightmare giving a judgmental glare from where he lay hidden behind the rock formation. 

“It’s okay boy, I’ll be back soon,” Hiccup assured the dragon. “You can’t come with me, it’s too dangerous.” 

The Monstrous Nightmare exhaled a puff of smoke from his nostrils, placing his head back onto a folded wing while continuing to glare at Hiccup. The dragon clearly knew that he was leaving, and he didn’t like it one bit. Even so, Hiccup carried on through the opening, moving past the fire to come onto the beach which was now at high tide. The waves were crashing closer than what he remembered, making it harder to get to the small boat which was anchored nearby. Hiccup didn’t let that stop him, and he trudged through the dark water, stumbling slightly with his prosthetic until he reached the boat. 

The boat was in shallow waters and already floating. Luckily they had remembered to anchor it so it wouldn’t just float away. Hiccup clambered into it with some difficulty and pulled the anchor up, allowing the boat to drift towards the open sea. He took hold of the oars, using all the strength he could muster to start rowing towards Calder’s ship. It was going to take hours to reach the boat, especially with only him rowing and the wind working against him. The waves crashed into the small boat, almost capsizing it multiple times, but he didn’t stop rowing, instead using his weight to try and balance it everytime it began to tip.

When he entered the deeper waters, the waves were less violent, but still large in size. His heart began to thud every time the boat would lurch over the top of one, almost feeling sea sick with the constant jostling. He was almost there though, he could just see the ships outline thanks to the light of the moon, and the white sails. He was so close now and the anticipation of seeing Astrid again gave him an energy boost. Rowing even faster, Hiccup ignored the burning feeling in his arms as they began to protest, too focused on getting close enough to the ship's ladder so that he could use it to climb up onto the deck. Using the anchor’s rope to tie around the ladder so that it wouldn’t drift away and leave them without a way to escape; Hiccup grasped the ladder tightly, using it to steady himself as he stood and began to climb. 

The deck was mostly deserted, except for two guards who were wandering around, yawning and looking like they were half asleep. Taking the opportunity to quickly sneak past them, Hiccup then hid behind one of the crates and peered around the other side. There were no guards here, but there was someone – a certain blonde to be exact and she was tied to a wooden pole much to Hiccup’s surprise and horror. 

“Astrid,” he called out in a hushed whisper. Her head hung low at an awkward angle, making Hiccup realise that she must be asleep. Chewing his bottom lip, Hiccup started to think of a plan to get over to her undetected. It made sense to stay hidden amongst the shadows in case any of Calder’s guards came this way. So Hiccup crouched down low, and quickly crept to another crate, pressing himself up against it to check if the coast was still clear. When it was, he quickly hurried over to Astrid, tip toeing as best he could with one metal leg. 

He reached her, and quickly gave her a once over to check if she was okay. Apart from a few bruises here and there, she appeared to be fine, much to his relief. “Astrid, hey,” he whispered and gently reached out to touch her face. Suddenly she jerked at his touch, her eyes snapping open in fear until they settled on him, relaxing instantly upon seeing who it was. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” Hiccup murmured. Using a hand to brush her hair away from her face, he cradled her cheek and stroked it softly. “Don’t worry, I am going to get you out of here,” he promised her. 

Astrid nodded in response, watching as he took out a dagger from the holder on his sleeve and moved behind her to cut the binds. “Where are the others?” she asked in a hushed voice. 

“Back on the island, I didn’t want to risk everyone getting recaptured if Calder doesn’t buy the plan.”

Astrid turned her head to look at him, one eyebrow raised. “What plan?” 

Hiccup shook his head. “The plan that I am now changing. I will tell you soon, first let’s just focus on getting you out of here.”

Astrid remained silent as he continued to hack away at the binds until finally they fell away from her wrists. She staggered forwards, almost falling off balance until Hiccup grabbed her arm, tugging her back into a tight embrace. He held her close, savouring the moment of finally having her in his arms again. “I missed you,” he said in her ear. 

“I missed you as well, but we have to get the Dragon Key back. Calder has it hidden in his room. I snuck out and tried to get it while he was sleeping but he caught me.” 

Hiccup nodded, taking her hand in his and leading her back behind the crates where they could hide in the shadows. Placing a finger to his lips, he gestured towards where the guards were pacing along the other side of the deck. 

“Have you checked on the prisoner yet?” a gruff voice asked. 

“No, I thought _you_ were going to this time?” another voice replied. 

There was a loud sigh and heavy footsteps as someone approached where Hiccup and Astrid were currently hiding. They pressed their backs hard up against the crate, holding their breath in as the guard passed by, muttering something about “useless,”’ and ‘I’ll just do it myself.”

Hiccup turned to Astrid, barely able to make her out in the darkness but gave her hand a squeeze to signal that they needed to go – and fast. Together, they crept along, flinching when the guards roar echoed around them.

“She’s gone, she’s **escaped**!” he called out. 

There was an outcry from another guard and the sound of doors slamming open, quickly followed by more heavy footsteps. 

“Where is she?” Calder’s voice rang out. 

“We don’t know sir,” a reply came. “She was there when we checked earlier…”

His voice trailed off, replaced by the sound of choking and a sudden crack before everything became silent. 

“Let this be a lesson to all of you! **Now do your job and find her**!” Calder ordered angrily. The guards all responded nervously, quickly leaving to search for Astrid in the hopes of escaping Calder’s wrath. 

Hiccup pulled Astrid into a small crevice in between Calder’s quarters and another wall, wrapping his arms around her so that her back was flush against his front. “Don’t make a sound,” he urgently whispered in her ear. He felt her nod in response before leaning her head back into his collarbone to rest it there. They could hear the sounds of the guards kicking over boxes and other objects in their search to find her, and to Hiccup’s horror, they were getting closer. “Astrid...we might need to get off the boat and leave the Dragon Key,” he said quietly. As he expected, she shook her head frantically. 

“No way – we are not leaving this ship without it,” she exclaimed. “Hiccup, we can’t. It is our only chance to get Zephyr and Nuffink back.” 

Hiccup sighed, he was feeling conflicted over this choice as well, though he didn’t see any other way that they were going to get out of this alive. “I know Astrid, but what other choice do we have?” he asked gently. She slumped in his arms with defeat and it literally crushed him to feel it. Before he could offer some comforting words, there was a crash behind them, making them both gasp. A guard was pushing his way down the crevice, having spotted them. He was about to open his mouth to warn the others when Astrid flew out of Hiccup’s embrace, knocking the guard to the ground and covering his mouth with her hand. 

Hiccup gave a quick glance to see if anyone was coming to check the source of the crash, then hurried over to where Astrid had him pinned on the ground. “What do we do now?” he questioned. Astrid looked up, shrugging when she didn’t have an answer. Hiccup sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. They were literally trapped, with no way to get to the boat without being caught. “I think we might have to surrender,” he told her solemnly. It was not ideal, but maybe he would be able to talk their way out of it, like he had planned in the first place. 

Reluctantly, Astrid agreed and let the guard go, watching as he scrambled to his feet and took off to warn the others. Sighing, she turned to look at Hiccup and he took her hand, both walking out of the shadows to face the crowd of guards and Calder. 

* * *

Viggo couldn’t believe what Johann had just told him. That Hiccup and Astrid had two children from the future who had been sent back and were now under the care of their younger selves. The thought almost seemed ridiculous, but the more Viggo thought about it, the more it made sense. Hiccup was a smart man, of course he would’ve built some sort of device that could time travel. _Though for what purpose_ , Viggo wondered. A time travel device would certainly come in handy to him, especially for business purposes. Viggo made a mental note to investigate more. He already had possession of the Dragon Eye, but the time travel device would be a wonderful addition. 

Viggo poured himself a drink, swirling the contents of the glass as he pondered more about the fact Hiccup had children. They would be his greatest weakness, Viggo was sure about that. He had already seen how much he cared for Astrid, and also his dragon and other riders. The fact that Hiccup was still trying to take him down while parenting two children was almost laughable to Viggo. But he was still young, inexperienced and naive in that area. Of course he wouldn’t consider the danger, not until it was too late. 

A noise at the front of the tent had Viggo turning around in alarm, eyes widening when Ryker stormed in. Before Viggo could demand what his older brother was doing, the entrance of the tent opened again and more hunters came to stand next to Ryker who was wearing a smug expression on his face with folded arms. 

“Brother –” Viggo began.

“It’s time to stand down Viggo, we’ve all decided you are not fit to lead the Dragon Hunter’s anymore. We are sick and tired of the constant failures to those stupid Dragon Rider’s,” Ryker declared loudly. There was a murmur of agreement amongst the other hunter’s. 

Viggo gritted his teeth angrily. Of course his dear older brother was trying to overthrow him, always jealous of him, even when they were children. “And you think you could do better?” he asked smoothly. Ryker’s face remained smug, even though the hunter’s behind him all exchanged looks. 

“Aye, I do. Your feelings for that boy are holding you back. Which is why it is best if I take the reins and actually punish those rider’s like they deserve. Only then will we reclaim our glory.” 

Viggo snorted. “I see, and do you just expect me to lay down and accept you as the new leader, because if so, my dear brother – you are sorely mistaken.” 

Ryker scowled, his face turning bright red with anger. “Seize him,” he commanded the hunter’s behind him. There was a moment's hesitation before the guards moved in, approaching Viggo warily as he watched them amusedly. The first hunter attempted to land a punch, instantly regretting it when Viggo grabbed his fist and pulled him off balance, before throwing him into the corner. 

“Anyone else?” he asked with his hands outstretched as though this was something he considered great fun. In his boasting, he failed to recognise the bottle that Ryker was holding until it was too late. The shimmering mist covered Viggo as Ryker threw the contents at him, effectively paralysing him. _Flightmare mist – of course_ , Viggo thought angrily. He could only watch as Ryker approached smugly and leant his face right into his own. 

“Something wrong brother? Oh sorry, I forgot you couldn’t speak,” he said before chuckling and raising his hand to slap it across his face, making it swing to the side from the force. “Throw him down the hatch.”

The hunter obeyed and grabbed Viggo under the armpits to drag him to the hatch. Another hunter turned to look at Ryker. “Uh, boss, how are we supposed to know where Viggo hid the Dragon Eye if he’s paralyzed?” 

Ryker’s face fell. “Nevermind about that, we don’t need it. Firstly we have to punish those Dragon Rider’s.” The hunter nodded and gave a still paralyzed Viggo a quick shove, sending him head first into the hole in the floorboards before closing the hatch. “Excellent – now let’s go and round up those dragons to take with us.” 

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid had left Caldera Bay after their brief discussion with Queen Mala. They had organised to meet with them later, after they had spoken with Stoick and the rest of Berk’s council to formulate a plan to counter Viggo. They also went back to Berserker Island to pick the kids up, not wanting to be separated from them too long – especially because Viggo’s weapon was unpredictable and invisible, meaning they had no clue what they were exactly fighting, or how to defeat it. 

Ruffnut and Tuffnut came back with them as well, along with Heather and Dagur who both agreed to unite with all other islands to help take down Viggo. Snotlout and Fishlegs returned with the news that Wingmaiden Island would also be allying themselves with the riders and the other tribes, much to Hiccup and Astrid’s relief. They were going to need all the man – and dragon – power possible. 

Now all that remained was forming a battle strategy, something that proved quite difficult for Hiccup given that Viggo always seemed to be one step ahead. He and Astrid had discussed strategies on their way back to Berserker Island from Caldera Bay, but each felt too obvious or too risky, until Astrid suggested attacking Viggo directly on his island. It was still a risk, but Hiccup couldn’t deny that it was a good place to start. If Viggo’s fleet was absent across the archipelago, then it was highly likely that he could be staying close to home, along with his secret weapon. Now it was just passing the plan by Stoick and the rest of the council, as well as their allies. Before they did so, Hiccup and Astrid decided to spend a little quality time with the kids, hoping that it would help put their minds at ease in case they had to leave them with someone during the war. 

Hiccup laughed as he watched Nuffink leap out of his hiding place, succeeding in scaring Fishlegs and Snotlout by making them both emit high pitched screams that almost broke the sound barrier. “Hey! Don’t you know that could cause someone a heart attack,” Fishlegs complained. His hand was crossed over his chest in an attempt to calm himself. 

“Yeah well I wasn’t even scared,” Snotlout remarked with folded arms. 

Hiccup just shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Come on Nuffink – let’s go and find your mum and sister.” 

The little boy nodded, taking his hand and skipping along beside him while Toothless trailed behind them, warbling happily. He had taken the little boy to the forge, showing him the little cubby with all his old inventions and pictures. Nuffink had been very intrigued with all the designs, though he had told Hiccup that Zephyr was very good with inventions like him, whereas he was more into fighting battles. Hiccup watched amusedly as the blonde-haired boy started swinging around on the spot, raising his little fists at an invisible enemy. 

They came to pass a garden of flowers when Nuffink stopped and tugged on Hiccup’s hand. “Can I pick one of these for mum?” he asked excitedly. Hiccup nodded, taking him over to the flower beds, watching as he chose a blue flower and held it up proudly. “It will match her shirt and Stormfly.” 

Hiccup smiled, “I think you are right about that.” Together, they carried on walking until they found Astrid and Zephyr standing beside Stoick’s hut, both looking happy to see them. Hiccup noticed that Zephyr’s hair was neatly braided, meaning that Astrid must have redone her hair during their quality time together. 

Nuffink ran forward with the flower in his outstretched hand. “I picked this for you,” he announced proudly. He handed it to Astrid as she bent down to take it with a surprised smile on her face. 

“Thank you Nuffink,” she said while pulling him into a hug. “It’s beautiful and what do you know – it matches my shirt as well.” Nuffink looked pleased when she tucked the flower behind her ear. Astrid straightened up and turned to look at Hiccup. “Your dad said that we can meet with him as soon as Spitelout is back from scouting.” 

Hiccup nodded, holding out his hand to take hers. Astrid quickly looked around them to make sure no one was watching before entwining her fingers with his. “What did you girls get up to?” he inquired cheerfully.

“Oh – well, you know...Heather and I just taught her how to throw knives at a target. She was a natural and got three bullseyes.” She gave him a sheepish look when his eyes widened in shock. “It was safe don’t worry, I made sure they were all blunt and –” 

“It’s okay Astrid, I wasn’t worried or anything. I was just surprised that she got three bullseyes at her age. But I suppose with you as her mother, it shouldn’t be that surprising – she must have inherited your skills.”

Astrid blushed at his compliment, but gave him a small smile when he squeezed her hand slightly. “Thanks Hiccup.”

Zephyr puffed her chest out, clearly proud of her successful knife training. “Come on Nuffink, I’ll show you how it’s done.” Nuffink’s eyes lit up and he quickly followed his sister back towards the arena. Hiccup and Astrid followed close behind, letting their hands separate begrudgingly. No one but the children and Stoick were aware of their relationship, and it wasn’t exactly the right time to be announcing it when they were about to go to war either. So for now, they decided it was best they kept their relationship secret, which meant very minimal public display of affection. 

“So…” Astrid began, “If we are staying on Berk tonight, it looks like we might not be sharing a bed. I don’t think Stoick would appreciate me staying or my parents for that matter. They are still getting over the fact that we have children together – even though they are from the future.” 

Hiccup laughed nervously. “Yeah, your dad keeps giving me a weird look every time he sees me. I don’t think they are buying the ‘just friends’ line anymore. In fact, I don’t think anyone is to be honest.” He had to admit he wasn’t sure how he felt about not sleeping next to Astrid tonight. He had grown so used to having her next to him, and found the warmth that radiated off her body, especially comforting. 

“Probably not,” Astrid replied. “But we need to focus on the plan against fighting Viggo. If we tell people now then it might make them see us differently instead of co-leaders, and we need them all to take us seriously.”

Hiccup sighed, knowing that she was right. Hopefully the war with Viggo would be over soon, and then they could focus on getting the kids back to the future where they belong. Only Hiccup felt a sense of sadness at the prospect of having to give them back, and he wondered if Astrid felt the same. It was a question that he decided to ask later, if they were able to have a moment to themselves. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed this update :). And thank you so much for the comments and support. I love hearing your thoughts.


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